Tea, Toast, and Tomorrow -- October 1901

[Liessel]

Bobbi: The night passed restlessly for Liessel. Every little creak of wood, whistle of wind, and the patter of rain against the building stirred her from her rest. Half of that was concern for the well being of those who were sheltered under the same roof with her that night, the other half was simply being in a strange place with strange, though charming, people. A good deal of her small hours was spent laying on Avery's smartly dressed bed with its ornate posts, looking around the room, or what she could see of it, while laying on her side so as not to disturb Victoria Pemmel. When the house woke and stirred, she stirred. It began with a small stretch and then a smoothing of her hair and robes, and then some quiet prayer -- a given blessing for another day of breath and life. And THEN came the battle to put on those buttoned up shoes once again. Failure for that came with the resolution that it really didn't matter right then, and soon Liessel would be finding her way, quietly, down to the parlor where she had met Felix the night before. All of her movements had been done with the hopes of not waking Victoria, including the quiet stalk out of the bedroom and down the hallway to the sitting room.


Char: Victoria had been wakeful for a long time.

At first, she'd whisked around Avery's room, leaning in to scrutinize schematics, symbols, maps, photographs, brushing her fingertips across every surface. The giddy energy of the evening had changed. It remained intense, but now the sense of attraction she felt for the Flynns and the romantic wildness she imagined sewn into the fabric of their lives merged with a more adult curiosity and concern. It was fair to say that the reality of danger Liessel and the eye represented had yet to be anchored within her, but Liessel's fear and the Flynns' response had pushed it away from feeling like a thrilling game. Now it was something new.

She had eventually laid down, made sure Liessel was well, and after some time staring into the shadows of the ceiling fallen asleep.

Now, the apartment was filled from the back somewhere with the smell of toast. Liessel would find the parlor quiet, but the fire newly stoked,, one of the Flynns kneeling before it with his back to her. He twisted, arrested mid-motion hooking the poker back up, nodded to her, and put the thing away.

"Did you sleep?" he asked, rising. In tweed waistcoat, slim trousers of the same, and tall laced boots, the young man looked like he had been up for some time. "Avery has some tea already in the kitchen."

Bobbi: Coming into the parlor was a somewhat of an odd experience. She'd entered, and stopped in short order on finding one of the twins kneeling before the fireplace. Which one was it? From behind it was hard to say, not that seeing him from the front would have done her any more good at all. It was such an odd thing, one that made her feel instantly awkward, in not knowing which Flynn she was looking at. Thankfully, though, the mystery was solved in short order and she could put to rest the effort it was taking to try and remember if there were any slight differences she might take advantage of from the fog of the previous hours they'd spent together, however brief they had been. In recovery from this, Liessel nodded and said, "Yes, some. Thank you for asking," and then, "Tea sounds love...ly...." Only to have her relief taken by confusion, "I'm sorry, Mr Flynn, but where is the kitchen?"

Char: "Ah." The elephant gun had been leaning, largely hidden by him, against the hearth. Then it was in Felix's hand and he carried it easily as he approached Liessel. "Come with me. We track the scent of toast."

That would take them back up the hall past Avery's room, past three more closed doors on both sides, toward the smell of bread and--beginning right then--bacon. As they went, Felix said, "There were no disturbances that I recognized this morning."
Bobbi: Following with, Liessel took in what they were passing. The place had a dusty feel to it, not old or ancient but something well lived in. And the smell of the bacon only made it more so! "I could say the same. Do you suppose that they've lost my trail?"

Char: Felix looked to her before they reached the kitchen. "Avery advised me that it would be impolite to pepper you with questions before you'd had tea. So: with only what I know now, how could I say?"

The curtains were open in the small corner kitchen, but the storm of the night before was not gone, just taking a short nap. Thin sunlight made it into the nook, but had to fight smoke from the black stove and steam from the pan atop it. Avery Flynn was in there, mostly dressed, but like his brother still in shirtsleeves. Instead of waistcoat he was in suspenders, sleeves rolled to his elbows, tending the bacon with long iron tines while slurping tea. His eyebrows rose when he glanced over and saw them. His quiet businesslike demeanor, full of thought, brightened into a manner that naturally turned outward. "Good morning, madame! You look somewhat refreshed, I'm pleased to see."

Bobbi: Liessel tilted her head in a slow exaggerated nod as if to say 'touche'. In that little corner of the apartment the smell of cooking bacon came much stronger. The little cooking area, she imagined, would hold the smell for some time to come. Having gotten Avery's attention, Liessel smiled, "Oh yes, thank you. Your bed was quite comfortable," and then, seeming to remember herself she looked between the brothers, "I do hope our staying wasn't bothersome for either of you."

Char: Avery glanced her way again with a sly smile. "Oh, you'll pass as an Englishwoman if you have to." On his wrist were all the multicolored bits of string Liessel had seen hours ago; Felix's were hidden by a perfect cuff.

When Felix did not instantly spring into action at the doorway, Avery was forced to jab the long-tined utensil at his midsection. "Well? Get the lady some tea. I'm confident no elephants will need shooting in the time it'll take you."

Felix Flynn froze before the elephant comment, clearly a casualty in the collision between his understanding of his role over the last several hours and the role Avery was right then asking him to fulfill. He wound up frowning at his brother and passing behind him in the narrow space, leaning the shotgun by the window.

While his twin overturned a chipped cup for Liessel, Avery said to her, "I'm afraid our dining room is currently a specimen lab. If you and Miss Pemmel don't mind, we'll dine in the parlor."

Bobbi: She took the compliment, or rather what she hoped was a compliment, with a smile and watched Felix for a moment as he headed further into the little cooking area. The shotgun held her gaze for a moment more as Avery spoke. Such a curious thing it was. She doubted she'd ever get used to seeing the size of such a weapon. "Specimen lab?" The words pulled her away from studying the elephant gun at the distance she stood. Shaking her head, Liessel continued with, "That sounds gruesome, if you don't mind me saying."

Char: "Dining in the parlor isn't that bad," Avery joked.

"She refers to my laboratory," Felix said, the tea poured, now arranging a sugar dish and a small pitcher of cream next to lemon slices Avery had already prepared.

Avery rolled his eyes for Liessel's benefit as Felix turned behind him to show her what they'd scraped together for her tea. "We're out of biscuits," Felix noted.

"Out of nearly everything. Cat did not make it by yesterday. Probably the weather," Avery agreed.

Bobbi: "It's alright," she said to Felix at the lack of biscuits, but was then quick to look between the two, fighting off a slackened jaw by pointing in their relative directions, "Cats bring you food?"

Char: "Besides, you're the only one who eats biscuits for br--" Avery broke off when Liessel's expression registered. He brightened and laughed. "Catrona," he said with subtle emphasis.

"Our sister," Felix offered.

"'Cat,' for short," Avery added.

Bobbi: "Well, that does make more sense than what I was imagining." She said with a smile.

Char: Avery grinned to her. "I'll be along with breakfast," he assured her. "Is Miss Pemmel awake, as well?"

Bobbi: "She was sleeping when I got up. Perhaps I should check on her?" It hadn't been that long since Liessel had gotten up, but it could have been enough time for Victoria to have roused herself.

Char: "As you wish," Avery told her. "It is nearly eight, but in my view the pair of you deserve rest if you can get it." He was taking up the sizzling bacon, transferring it to a nearby plate.
Bobbi: "If she is still sleeping, I won't wake her," Liessel promised before turning to step away from the kitchen, bare feet carrying her almost.silently back toward the bedroom she had shared with the young woman.

Char: Inside, Victoria was up, but bent to the mirror, trying to fix her brunette hair into--well, it was difficult to say. Whatever she thought it should be, it apparently wasn't, because she was red-faced and frustrated and on the verge of tears. When the door eased open, it creaked faintly, and she spotted Liessel.

Nothing about young Victoria Pemmel was ugly, but lack of sleep and smeared make-up appeared to be making her consider becoming a hermit. She waved Liessel in. "They can't see me like this!" she whispered desperately.

Bobbi: "What can I do to help?" Her own whisper came as she shut the door behind her, "Would some water help? I can see if they have some to spare."

Char: "No! No," Victoria said quickly. She bowed her head, pressing her hands to her face, shaking her head for a moment. "You must think I'm so silly...."

Bobbi: "A little, yes," she was moving across the room to place her hands gently on Victoria's shoulders, "but I also think you are embarrassed to have Mr Flynn see you like this. Let me ask them for some water, Victoria. There is no harm in it, and it's better than you fighting with yourself."


Char: Still for a moment, Victoria soon nodded.

The battle of beauty was so deeply embedded in the woman that it had proved impossible for her to manage a truce when she'd risen just after the door shut behind Liessel. Instead, she'd felt the full weight of the need to be basically desirable join forces with her own hope to be Noticed by the Flynns, and, thwarted, she'd lost it. So now faced with Liessel again, who might be stark raving mad but who cares, she waited.

Bringing water would be no great production. The lavatory was modern, and the hot water on demand. Upon request, either Flynn could suggest it, and would. In the parlor, tea waited. Toast soon joined it, with bacon and porridge. The jam was out, along with butter and salt. It was the best spread Avery could offer on short notice, and more than he and Felix usually bothered with for themselves alone.

Bobbi: It was one of those things to Liessel. Some women went through extremes to enhance what was already present, and some, like Liessel, didn't. The idea of it was not alien to her, it was just a wonder that Victoria seemed so upset by the need to look so brightly polished in a situation where unpolished, she thought would be understandable. It was just one of those things, and it went unspoken as Liessel went on the hunt for water that Victoria could clean herself up with. It was to the lavatory that Liessel went first, beginning her hunt in what seemed like the most logical place to start. The fixtures within were unfamiliar, though, and she found the need to call out from the little water closet for a little bit of help.

Char: Boots padded on a tightly woven rug toward the lavatory, and one of the Flynns cautiously peered around the door, because it was open. Shirtsleeves; suspenders. Avery, then. "Madame?"

He'd put away the long-tined fork he'd been using, but smelled of bacon and breakfast.

If there were differences to be spotted between his face and Felix's, they would surely have been easier to sort with them side by side, but Avery had the subtly squarer face. In demeanor, he was thusfar the more relaxed of the twins. His voice was not noticeably different than Felix's, but he was more ready to smile, and that ease made its way into how he spoke, too, from a gentleness of voice to the words he chose.

Bobbi: Avery would find Liessel standing there looking perplexed, focusing on fixtures meant to produce running water, and the lou itself. In response to him arriving, she turned and gave a splayed finger wave to the small room, "How do I use this?" She asked, "Victoria would like to wash up a bit before joining us for breakfast." She sounded just about as lost as she both looked and felt at that moment.

Char: "Ah! Here--" The young man stepped in to demonstrate the modern features of the room: how the warm water was marked with a symbol that looked like this: H. How the cold was marked by: C. How the degree of turning determined force of flow. He showed her where the towels were, and the soap. If there was some esoteric tonic needed by Victoria Pemmel, the Flynns did not have it, but what they did have was simple and well-stocked. What Avery also had was confusion.

When he'd run out of things to show Liessel, he nearly asked why Miss Pemmel had not come out herself. His face showed that he wanted to ask it, if Liessel was in the state of mind to read it, but that territory was dangerous, like a thin film of ice on a sidewalk.

Bobbi: The lesson was taken well by Avery Flynn's guest. She observed, if with muted astonishment, how the water reacted to the turning of the hand knobs, and at how the temperature changed depending on which knob was turned! It was "Marvelous!" She'd tell him before taking note of the towels and what stock they had in cleansing solutions. The idea was growing, however, that it might simply be easier to move Victoria to the water instead of trying to take the water to her.... it was after this thought that she noticed Avery's expression and said, "Would it be possible for you and your brother to -- uhm -- distract yourselves? I don't think Victoria will leave the room if she knows either of you will see her. She feels she looks too disheveled, you see."

Char: He blinked and glanced up the hall toward his room. Then a smile crept back in. "I don't need to tell you that Miss Pemmel is lovely," he said, not 'amused' so much as humbled into good humor about what Liessel had just revealed. "Very well; we'll retreat to the parlor. Try to assure her that we're not so...." Unable to think of how to say what he wanted to say, the thought trailed off. "Nevermind, Madame. I'm sure it will all work out. Do hurry, though; the toast is already cold."

Bobbi: "Thank you, Mr Flynn!" Her own smile was wide and warm, full of gracious gratitude. He hadn't seemed like the type who would have denied such a request in his own home, but Avery was not Felix. She had her doubts about the other Flynn being so accommodating. "I'll make sure she's quick." The priestess started to move past Avery, then paused and turned back to grab a towel. "Just in case...." and then she was gone from the lav, heading back toward the bedroom on quick bare feet.

Char: Bemused, Avery backed away a few paces before disappearing into the parlor. He could be heard quietly telling Felix to keep the hall clear for a while.

Victoria rushed to the door when she saw that it was Liessel and that Liessel was alone. Her combed hair was lovely, if a bit stiff from some of the stage-oil she'd used at the Tybalt the night before, but it was not fashionable, and that apparently was the measure. She saw the towel, but no water, and was fighting the urge to ask what Liessel thought of her face.

Bobbi: Liessel's smile had dimmed between the lav and the bedroom, but it was fighting to return to its bright glory when she saw Victoria. The towel was held out, Liessel reaching for Victoria's hand. "Come with me. Mr Flynn and his brother will be in the parlor waiting for us. But we must be quick, breakfast is already getting cold. Mr Flynn has said you can wash up in the water room."

Char: Victoria balked--or began to--and then nodded. "Are you sure?" she asked, but she was going, ready to rush, to hide like a shy child behind the towel if she had to. Even that thought embarrassed her, made her re-evaluate what she was doing, how this was controlling her, but even so: she all but bolted to the lavatory once the door was open again.

Bobbi: Was she sure? Liessel nodded and was ready to be in the way to shield Victoria if the need arose. She was out the bedroom door behind Ms Pemmel, finding the need to lift up the hem of her robes just to keep up with the actress.

Char: Once safely in the lavatory, door shut, tiny electric lights providing the glow, Victoria winced into the mirror. She used a corner of the towel to begin scrubbing at smeared make-up. As she did so, volume low, she said, "Thank you--you're kind, so kind...."

Armed with the proper tools, she made quick headway. It would never result in the polish the young actress aspired to, but at least she'd be clean-faced. As for the lavatory's primary function, she'd make use of that as soon as she could. "How did they seem to you? They're handsome, don't you think?"


Bobbi: Without knowing exactly how to help, Liessel waited during it all to get her cues from Victoria. Once gotten, she'd help as she could. That included answering Ms Pemmel's question by saying, "They are handsome, yes. And quite accommodating," her brow furrowed a bit as she added. There was more to say on that front, but it was being held back with reason. "You seem quite taken with Avery."

Char: Victoria threw Liessel a small, sly smile, with the slightest cock of her head. "Felix is all right, just... strange. Avery, though...." She sighed, eyes focusing into a future with a very different shape than the present.

How she could be lost in dreaming it up in the face of Liessel's magical appearance and predicament was, perhaps, a human thing.

She cleaned the smears off of her face and had nothing with which to replace the cosmetics. Her bag, which usually contained at the very least powder, had been left somewhere in the chaos after she'd first been swept away from the Tybalt after her performance. The result was that for the first time since they'd met, Liessel would see Victoria Pemmel resembling Victoria Pemmel. Without crude paint, hers was a grounded beauty, effortless with youth, flush and for the most part happy.

She made sure her clothing was as proper as she could get it, and then looked Liessel over, coming away from her self-centered concerns and back into the world she shared with others. "My dear! It is good to meet you again in better light. And no rain! I hope you feel safer this morning."

In the parlor, the Flynns could hear feminine murmuring, just the edges. It had Felix on edge. He kept throwing glances at Avery. The glances meant: What Could They Possibly Be Doing In There Together?

Avery didn't have an answer, but had forbidden his brother from pacing as they waited.

The food, cooling every second even before the fire, sat there teasing them both. Felix, who had taken on the majority of the watch after the eye had gone into the vault, was simply hungry. Avery was hungry, but for him there was an extra layer of atmosphere filled with his awareness of Flynn & Flynn's professional reputation. That was far more important to him than tiny ticks of nitpicky etiquette. So far, the ladies who had come to them were safe and, apparently, at ease enough to spend time chatting in the washroom--mind boggling as that was to the Flynns. It seemed to undermine the pressing danger relayed to them hours before, but the standard wisdom was that women were crazy. Avery had known enough non-crazy women to doubt the standard wisdom, and had plenty of other reasons to doubt "standard" anything, but despite his cooking breakfast in domestic fashion this was not quite the way in which he'd envisioned this morning unfolding.

Bobbi: The woman Victoria was talking to was smiling and nodded mutely in answer to the question. She was far more of a sight than Ms Pemmel, still wearing her dirty robes that had once been the color of a clear blue sky. The tattoo on her forehead was still there but now almost half-hidden beneath unkempt hair. She'd done her best, having run her hands through her hair to tease out some of the bigger knots, and had settled on it being the best she'd be able to do given the circumstances. It bothered her none that in civilized society she might have been a sight to see. Looking worn was a consolation when compared to the possibility that she might not have been there at all if she hadn't found her way to meeting Ms Pemmel and the Flynns. Liessel was a plain beauty with clear, clean green-hazel eyes. "It's been nice to let my guard down a bit. And speaking of guards being let down -- are you feeling suited enough for breakfast? Our hosts are still waiting."

Char: Victoria threw a glance across Liessel toward the door. She nodded, looked at Liessel, and reached out to quickly help her without asking. She assumed that the effort would be appreciated rather than offensive, that even a magically manifesting lady had to share some priorities in common with her. With a critical eye, she brushed her fingers carefully through and arranged, and then stepped back to nod. "You're lovely, my dear! I think we're ready."

Bobbi: There was a moment, right when Victoria had started to reach out, that Liessel started to ask "What are you doing?" But the question was answered a moment later. She hadn't really considered how she looked until that moment, and so let Victoria do her thing. Neither of the Flynns had seemed taken aback by her appearance so she had taken it in passing that she had been passable. Victoria's standards were, apparently, much higher than passable. "Thank you," the priestess said. It was over in seconds, Victoria's work to right Liessel's hair. She couldn't imagine the amount of difference the small shifting of a few choice locks could make, but her stomach could. The low rumble of hunger struck just before Liessel turned and opened the lav door, then stepped out into the hall.

Char: Back into air filled with the scent of pan-fried bacon.

Back into the scent of wood fire and toast.

Both Flynns turned with what seemed to be relief when a hallway board creaked, announcing the ladies. Avery smiled; Felix stepped back automatically so they could come sit.

"Good morning," Avery said. "Bit cold, but the tea's hot. Come sit and drink the civilization back into you."

"Then we'll talk about your object," Felix added. "Good morning, Miss Pemmel."

Bobbi: "Thank you," Liessel took the room offered by Felix and headed toward the spot she had occupied on the couch the night before. The parlor did not look too much different than she had remembered from the night before, but she was seeing some new details she had missed in their late hour arrival. In the motion she tried to hide her concern, plastering a slight smile to her face when Felix mentioned the eye. So far things had gone well, circumstances considered.

Char: Avery poured tea and plates were passed around. As the night before, butter and the last of the jam were on offer with plenty of toast. The bacon and porridge were there for the taking. Rich of variety, the breakfast was not, but rather generous of amount.

For the first time, Avery took a moment to ask Victoria about her first starring turn at the Tybalt, to smile and laugh and congratulate her. From how he spoke, they were obviously bare acquaintances. While that was going on, Felix zoned out, focused on breakfast. Present enough to pass the porridge, if asked, or other functional things like that, and not unhelpful, but apparently lacking skill or interest in small talk of that kind. The elephant gun leaned nearby; also close at hand was a small pad of paper with a cord around it, a pen jammed through it.

Bobbi: While the small talk took place between Avery and Victoria, Liessel nibbled on some buttered toast, and some bacon. She tried the porridge, and sipped some tea, all the while giving furtive glances to the room around them, catching small new details like the engraving on the mantle, and the aged looking spines of some of the books that surrounded them. There was the intricate weave of the carpet beneath the low table that had been settled between the couch and the chairs, which in itself had a handmade look to it. There was the elephant gun, again, and the pad of paper not too far away from Felix. Felix. She found herself watching him for a moment or two from over the lip of her tea cup. He was so different from Avery. She wondered in those few seconds which one was older.

Char: Felix caught Liessel watching him once, and immediately transferred his gaze to the tray on the table, as if the toast crumbs made for engrossing reading. Victoria, meanwhile, was rapt, inched over as close to Avery as the sofa allowed without her perching on the armrest--but, aglow with his praise and voiced hope to see her perform, their breakfast chat was wrapping up. Her self-possession translated into no offer to sing for them, and slowly their plates were emptied.

Once they were--all four of them--Avery poured more tea and sat back in his chair. Felix took up the pad and pen, and flipped to the first blank page, about two-thirds of the way through the pages.

"I hope you're refreshed, Miss Erphale," Avery began. "Maybe with all of us rested and warm, we can be of better service to you this morning. My brother and I have some questions we hope you won't mind answering for us, but perhaps with the clarity of morning you'll tell your story to us once more? And forgive interruptions, should they come."

Bobbi: Leaning forward, Liessel's tea cup was gently set down on the low table between them all. Sitting back, she folded her hands together and gave a small nod toward Avery, "Would you like me to begin with who I am, or how I came to be here?"

Char: "Tell the story as it seems to you best to do so," Avery said gently. "If we're to help you, and England, there are things we'll have to know."

Bobbi: Quietly she evaluated for a moment, feeling out the edges of what she had told them the night before and began with, "As you know my name is Liessel Erphale, and I am one of ten priestesses who protect the three gates which are gateways to other places. I am here because I passed through the three gates in my escape, after having taken the object I showed you last night, the Eye of the Blessed, from our ruler -- our queen, Geissel. She was using the eye to take advantage of people, her people. She was using it to perpetuate war and bloodshed," she did not stay calm as she spoke, by the time Geissel was mentioned, Liessel had started speaking with a quick pace, sounding disgusted with the purpose behind her words, the truth that was held within them.

Char: "These gates," Felix said--his pen had been skritching quickly as Liessel spoke; now he was watching her as if this conversation were fundamentally different from the one Avery and Victoria had championed over breakfast. "What are they, and how do they work? How did you and your fellow priestesses protect them, and from what? How did they bring you to London, and--"

"Pace yourself, Felix," Avery said, just as deliberately calm with his brother as he had been a moment before with Liessel. "For Miss Erphale's sake." But he looked again to Liessel and nodded encouragement to her. "Are those questions you can answer?"

Bobbi: A small handfull of the light blue fabric she wore found its way into Liessel's grasp during the barrage of questions from Felix. With Avery's interruption, she was given a moment to smooth the fabric with her finger tips, "I can try." She said toward one Mr Flynn before she was looking toward the other. "The gates are like...doorways...or windows....It is said that at one time, long ago in our past, that the Blessed built the gates. They made them to tie together the worlds from which they had come. I --can't tell you how they work. I don't know the -how- of it in mechanical terms, but I can tell you that they do."

Char: Felix wanted to ask another question. He glanced to Avery. Avery was waiting for Liessel to go on in her own time, so Felix bit his tongue to wait, too.

Bobbi: In her small pause she had given both Flynns a small glance, and then she was continuing, "We protected the gates, my fellow priestesses and I, by upholding the traditions of our people. You see, we are believed to be descendants of the Blessed, brought into life and raised to serve our forefathers by keeping their ways. It is those ways that keep the gates protected and secure. We watch over them and see to it that they are not used for ill purpose. They are a gift from the Blessed, and are treated as such."

Char: "What are the 'ways' that you keep?" Felix apparently couldn't keep silent right then. "How do they protect your gates?"

Bobbi: "Prayers and vigilance. The gates are kept sealed away from all but Geissel's surveyors, and the priestesses. None may get close to them but us. It's not Giessel's law, but rather an edict of the Blessed. It is observed to keep the Blessed alive in our hearts."

Char: There was a moment of quiet. Victoria was silent, watching Liessel more than Avery now. It had not actually occurred to her to think of Liessel as a priestess--and, in fact, the existence of female priests had only just then slid into her reality from plays and pulpy fiction.

Avery gave Felix no signal, so Felix asked: "Which of the three gates brought you to England?"

Bobbi: London. England. Both names had been mentioned, as had Farie. "All three gates must be opened in succession for them to work. If even just one of them doesn't open, then travel is not possible. A key," she lifted her right hand and lightly touched her fingers to the tattoo on her forehead, "Must be present, as well."

Char: "Why did you appear in England, then?" Avery now, voice quiet. "Have your folk ties here?"

Bobbi: "I do not know why it was here that I came to be. When I entered the gates my desire was simply to get away. I had no destination in mind beyond being as far away from Geissel as possible."

Char: Avery brightened a little. "Heartening to think that perhaps we're as far away as possible. Yet your pursuer is here, you say. Your fellow priestesses opened the way for him, then?"

Bobbi: "Septimius was here -- last night. It is possible that not all had been killed, as I told you had happened before. Septimius is a surveyor. If the priestesses protect the gates, the surveyors watch the gates for signs of the Blessed. They interpret omens for Geissel."

Char: "How precise are these gates?" Felix asked.

Avery frowned, thinking the question indelicately timed after Liessel's dip into talk of murder, but this time he did not interfere.

As a result, Felix pressed: "For example, if they somehow learned you were in our house, could an army come through your gates into this parlor?"

Bobbi:
"Not so direct as that, no. That Septimius found the exact spot I had come to when I arrived could have been due to traces of location left within the gates."

"If he were to come for me again, or any other surveyor for that matter, it is most likely that they would wind up where I had first found myself."

Char: "Most likely," Felix echoed, writing furiously.

But that had perked Victoria up for a different reason. She'd tentatively raised a finger like a schoolgirl. Rather than waiting to be called on, however, she waited for a pause, and Felix's unhappy emphasis provided one just big enough. "The Tybalt? You mean, this murderer would arrive at the theater...?" As if she wasn't ready to believe it quite yet.

Bobbi: "I am afraid that it is a very strong possibility." Liessel had turned to look at Victoria. With Miss Pemmel sitting beside her it was just a small shifting of the priestess' weight and a refocusing of attention.

Char: Avery put a hand on Victoria's where hers rested on the arm of the sofa. It seemed to startle her and she looked at him. "Don't fear. I'll go there today. Have a look around. See if there's anything we can do to safeguard the place."

"I'll go with you," Victoria said. Not breathlessly, this time. The two ladies she roomed with were part of the cast. She had friends at every level in the theater, and friends in the cafes and pubs nearby as well.

"That's not a good idea," Felix said.

Avery inclined his head. Silent agreement. "But necessary. I doubt anyone would let me snoop around without a hostess. ... unless they'd welcome a reporter, Miss Pemmel, in the wake of your smashing premiere?"

She'd glanced between them, and frowned. "They would. Hungover, they'll be, and of course they'd welcome some press. But I must go home anyway."

"Does anyone else know you came here to us?" Felix asked. "How many members of the troupe saw Miss Erphale and might associate her with you?"

Victoria blinked. "Why, everyone saw," she answered--taking the second question first. Hastily she added: "But I didn't mention Flynn & Flynn to anyone... and snuck back to the theater to fetch her! It seemed deserted."

"But it was not, we can deduce," Felix declared, talking to Avery now. "--or at least its immediate area was not. Were I this Septimius, seeking a powerful stolen item under compulsion, even if I searched the place and then sought the thief outside, I would have eyes on the place. And I'd not have gone far without a trail of some kind to follow. If Septimius has a trail, he has either found Miss Pemmel's residence and waits there, or he has followed her to us and waits nearby here. Our saving grace may be that blabbermouth members of Miss Pemmel's troupe may yet be passed out this morning, and thus far less inclined to gossip than they might otherwise be. But if this man is as ruthless as Miss Erphale suggests--"

"Yes! Yes. You're quite right; thank you." Avery had seen that darker turn coming, but hadn't been quick enough with his interruption to stop it entirely.

"Might he have a means by which to learn English? Our language?" Felix asked Liessel. His warning largely rested on the idea that a people with gates to other worlds might have some means by which to learn tongues, but Liessel, as guardian of those gates, might put that straight to rest.

Bobbi: It was sinking in, all the details that there hadn't been time or mental capacity enough to sink in before. The Flynns were speaking of trails Septimius might have left behind in Liessel's wake, but what of the trail she'd left herself? What of all those poor people who she had had first contact with? "I simply don't know," she replied to Felix, giving a gentle shake of her head, "Given time and preparation I am sure it could be possible. Or, in the very least -some way- of bridging the language barrier could be. After all, here we sit speaking to one another as if it were a common tongue between us. Would it happen within just these handful of hours? I don't think Geissel could manage it, nor could Septimius. Not that quickly."
Char: Felix nodded, thinking of all the other ways one might be tracked. Magically and via more mundane methods. "Septimius. What sort of person was he before the eye? And what sort of power does he wield?"

Bobbi: "Before the eye, Septimius was a kind man. He was known for helping others without reservation. He had always had Geissel's interest, but once he was brought up to the level of high surveyor Geissel's interest turned into -- well, I would call it obsession. As high surveyor, Septimius oversees the enforcement of Geissel's laws. His civil powers, beyond watching for signs from the Blessed, can be martial if warranted."

Char: "Sorcery?" Felix asked bluntly. "Or is Geissel the only one with any power of that sort?"

Avery simply listened now. He held Victoria's hand, but she listened with a focus like had taken her hours ago.

Bobbi: A look was given to the three that she was sitting with, a question bubbling up within just those few seconds. She was at a slight loss and expressed it as " 'Sorcery'?" The word was repeated slowly, even as Liessel shook her head, "I don't know what that is."

Char: Felix pulled back the cuff of his sleeve to display the many colored strings tied there even as Avery reached to point to the string around Liessel's own wrist. "We don't usually refer to the sort of art that lent all of us a common language as 'sorcery,' but I suppose it's analogous," Avery said, thinking it over. "But... regardless of the terminology used... I suspect what my brother really wants to know is: what makes Septimius a threat? He does not have the eye. What does he have of which we should be wary? An army ready to come here? Weapons? Knowledge we lack?"

Bobbi: After observing the tied strings understanding came. She was about to clarify for Felix, but wound up speaking to Avery instead, "He has the surveyors, which are many, and whatever else Geissel has given him. She's going to want The Eye back. It is too precious of a gift to remain lost from her. Without it, her command over others might suffer. She'd lose her rule, her disciples. Septimius lives, now, to please Geissel. He will do whatever she asks for as long as The Eye's affect keeps him."

Char: "Does the effect wear off?" Avery asked.

Felix nodded and picked up that thread, deepening it: "What is the history of the Eye? What do you know about how it works, where it came from? --And most importantly, has anyone ever defeated it, or broken free from its influence?"

Bobbi: "I don't know, but I am hoping it does," she said to Avery before answering Felix, "The Eye was a gift from the Blessed -- five beings who came together, converged, and created us. Jostel, the wind walker. Emburu, the maker of flame and fire. Terrna, the earth molder. Aqaurren, the storm bringer. And Eidole, who is closest to our hearts. Each gave a piece of themselves when they returned to their own realms granting us, their children, with the ability to remember where it was we came from. The Eye is from Eidole, who wished for nothing more than for their children to understand one another. It had been meant as a reminder that the will of choice can be influenced by those around us and so we must remain steadfast and true to our own virtues."

Char: Felix's pen made quick progress down the page of his pad. He flipped a page and wrote in tiny script a bit further before looking up again. "How long ago was this, for your folk? Has the ruler always wielded the eye?"

Bobbi: "Ages ago, years and years before my time. And yes. The Eye and all other gifts from the Blessed are passed from one ruler to the next at the time of death. When one becomes too old, or sickly, to rule their successor takes their place and death is given in mercy. We believe that those rulers who pass on are welcomed with open arms by the Blessed into a greater life where they will know no pain or suffering."

Char: "Is that hereditary? The rulership?" Felix asked.

Avery said, "If we're straying from this morning's priorities...." He was thinking of the implied threat to a number of people. The tension in Victoria's grip kept it easy to remain focused.

"We aren't," Felix said with a finality before nodding to Liessel.

Bobbi: She had turned her head to look at Avery briefly before using the moment to sip on some more tea before getting the nod from Felix to continue, "It is. Before Geissel, it was her mother Kelstar. Before Kelstar it was Jennu, Geissel's grandfather."

Char: Felix nodded though he was eyeing the notes he made.

"Can you describe Septimius to us? For looks, for attire? Septimius, and any who may have accompanied him--if he has servants, or comrades often seen in his company," Avery said quietly.

Without looking up, Felix said: "Geissel, too."

Bobbi: She reached for another sip of tea, "Septimius," she was saying as she refilled the delicate cup she'd been using, "Is tall -- taller than both of you. He has no hair on his head, or his face. His nose is sharp," she place the tea pot down and traced a line along her own to mimic the shape she was speaking of, "His eyes are dark brown and sit close together. They used to be kind, warm and he always smiled before. Now, not so much. He's always hard faced, and mean looking. His shoulders are wide, his body thick -- like a tree trunk. He has a marking similar to mine, all surveyor's do. Over his left eye is a mark that resembles a rising sun. It is the same mark for all surveyors. What set Septimius above all of them by sight is his clothing. Geissel gives him clothes made of the finest weaves. Since Geissel used The Eye on him he has been carrying a lance she had given him. She had it crafted from rare woods and tipped with a hard clear flawless crystal drawn up from Terrna's well. He is never without it. Geissel is of dark hair. She wears it long," a motion went to Liessel's mid-back in Felix's view, "About to here. She is a thin woman with eyes the color of embers, and skin the color of cream. She wears nothing but shifts made of our finest silk."

Char: "How much taller than us? --Stand up, Avery."

Avery gave Victoria's hand a squeeze and then stood so that Liessel might better estimate a height difference.

Felix was by that time on yet another fresh page in his pad, having covered the other front and back, and he wrote a little more before flipping back to fill in details as needed.

Bobbi: Just a few moments after Avery had stood, so did Liessel. Her dainty tea cup had been placed on the low table just prior to her rising. She shot a small apologetic smile Victoria's way before moving toward where Avery was standing. She just barely had to tilt her head back to look up at him. Thoughtful, she turned and took a look around the room, then turned back to Avery, "Forgive me Mr Flynn," was said just before she tugged at his left arm, "but could you follow me? Just over here...."

Char: Avery moved around the table and the back of the sofa, watching Liessel with an agreeable and puzzled expression to go where she directed.

Bobbi: "Here," she was leading him to one of the heavy shelving cases they had in the room, one that was filled with old and heavy looking books. She'd have Avery stand with his back to it while she stood in front of him and looked up again. She'd point to a spot, one roughly seven and a half centimeters above Avery's head, "There. He's about that tall."
In order to reach that height Liessel had to rise onto the tips of her toes and stretch her arm up just a bit.


Char: As tools go, Avery was quite biddable. As he and Liessel had gone to the most accessible section of shelves, Felix had risen to watch. Victoria leaned sideways to see around him, but remained where she was.

Felix went over, collected the pen to the same hand that held the pad, and reached up to mark the height with his own hand so that Liessel could relax and his brother could step away to visualize it for himself.

When Avery did so, backing toward the center of the room, the blond man's brows rose. "He'd be hard to miss."

Bobbi: Thanks to Felix's efforts Liessel was able to drop down from her toes. She stepped back to give Avery room and nodded, "Yes, he would."

Char: "We may... well. Would you mind sitting a while with our sister? It would be here, of course...." Avery's tone was that of a man thinking aloud, working out details on the fly. Felix stood a moment longer marking the height, but when Avery's gaze drifted to the fire he unhooked his pen to make a tiny line right in the finish of the wood. In that instant, Avery tried to explain his thought to Liessel: "She's a far better artist than either of us, you see. We might do well to have even rough sketches of relevant faces, is my notion."

Bobbi: Her "I don't know" was quickly turning into "I don't mind," as Avery explained his thought, "I think I've put everyone in enough danger as it is. I don't mind cooperating to avoid further endangerment."

Char: "We may see her today...." Avery mused, glancing at Felix, who met his gaze but had no information to offer about their sister's schedule for the day, or where they might fit into it.

Avery glanced again to the bookcase, to the tiny mark ruining the surface. Eyes on it, he continued to address Liessel--and the rest of them. "The best thing we can do is scout the theater and the area around it. Perhaps get a look around Miss Pemmel's rooms, as well. Find out if anyone has seen a bald, serious-faced giant. See if we can make anything of the stage where you appeared... All that."

"But I need to go home," Victoria said again, the fabric of her gown sliding against itself with a whisper as she finally rose, too.

"We should ascertain the safety of your home first, don't you think?" Felix asked her.

"You don't understand!" Victoria said. "I have friends there, and at the theater. And last night...! If I disappear, I may never get an opportunity again!"

Bobbi: "Victoria," the priestess took quick steps to get to Miss Pemmel's side, "Please." Her tone was gentle, "They didn't say you couldn't go back. They just want to make sure it is safe enough for you to do so. And honestly, I feel they are right. If Septimius and any surveyors are now lurking, I'd rather not have my new friends taken by surprise, or harmed, by anything Septimius may decide to do."

Char: Victoria started to protest--or ask a question--but at the mention again of "surveyors," Felix broke in to ask: "Can you draw the sun symbol you described?"

Bobbi: Drawn back into that side of the conversation, Liessel turned to look Felix's way. For a split second her expression was blank, his words taking a moment to climb through her concern for Victoria, but then her expression was more alive. She gave Victoria another meaningful look, imploring. "I can try," she answered Felix. She was then stepping away from Miss Pemmel and heading toward Mr Felix Flynn, "Can I borrow that?" A motion made toward the pen and paper pad the held.

Char: Even as she asked, Felix was offering, the pad already flipped open to a fresh page.

More attuned to Victoria than was his brother, Avery closed the distance and said lowly to her, "I understand, Miss Pemmel. You suggested yourself that this morning might go, ah, unseen by your troupe... I know you are concerned. Give me a few hours to scout, and then together we might investigate more deeply."

Bobbi: The image she was drawing was just as simple as the stick figure she had drawn the night before at the Tybalt. It was as she had described it, a half sun with six rays that settled against a horizontal line.

Char: Victoria clutched at Avery. It wasn't lusty and it wasn't acting. "But if we stay here... what will we do if this man appears?"

Bobbi: "If he appears," Liessel had stopped drawing at that and looked Victoria's way, "Then I go with him. He would be here for me, and for The Eye. I -- don't have The Eye any longer. But he would need to take me back to face Geissel. You will run if he shows himself here, and find our hosts."

Char: Both Flynns gazed at Liessel, startled--though possibly for differing reasons.

For reasons she could not have explained, and quite humiliatingly, Victoria looked suddenly like she wanted to cry.

Bobbi: The pad was offered back to Felix. If he took it, she'd be heading for Victoria, again, but this time to wrap the actress in a hug.

Char: Victoria wasn't ready for it--the hug. The rest. Avery had been staring at Liessel, about to tell her she was brave but not to be hasty, and had missed all but the tensing of Victoria's arm until Liessel was already embracing her.

Then it seemed disrespectful to interrupt.

"I don't understand," Victoria said, only belatedly able to return the hug. So much of her strength was going to stopping herself from really breaking down. "I don't understand how to respond to this. You couldn't let a villain take you!" They were acquaintances of a single night, and a strange one at that, yet Victoria was confused and fully invested. By a bolt of gut instinct, she already liked and believed Liessel, and feared for her. The mix of her attraction to the Flynns made it more volatile, made her flimsier, her reactions ricocheting every which way.

Bobbi: "I could, and I will," Liessel told her, "I hadn't imagined meeting people like you, or the Flynns," her own voice was low, soft in volume, "Or appearing on that stage like I had. But it happened, and now I can't imagine anyone getting harmed because they've had contact with me. I would go, willingly, if it were to keep you from any danger yet unseen."

Char: "Nothing you've told us suggests an uncontrollable situation." Felix apparently had no trouble interrupting. "We are not without resources. Not to mention: we do have a police force that might take seriously a story of a thief or a man making threats near the theater, with the right kind of push."

Bobbi: “Police?" She let go of Victoria enough to pull back and look Felix's way.

Char: Felix blinked. No direct translation for police? "Enforcers of our laws," he told her. "Protectors of our citizenry, from criminals and their enterprises." Nevermind that he'd just alluded (vaguely) to thinking he might have to bribe or lie to them to get them to watch over the theater.

Bobbi: "They are your surveyors, or something very like it?" The description sounded very similar to her, "How would you push them?"

Char: Victoria stood frowning, trying to see a symmetry between neighborhood Constables and fantastical world-hopping murderers and enslavers. A difficult thing for a first-timer to weed through the trappings to get to the essence.

But she wasn't alone.

Even a bit more seasoned, Avery and Felix Flynn found themselves working through quiet biases about what was Inside and Familiar, and what was Outside and therefore strange. The difference was that they had more practice chopping their way through their English inclinations and little pockets of assumptions, bits of racism here and there, and tendencies to romanticize the exotic. That 'surveyors' could mean tattooed police constables was a little more quickly allowed by their brains.

Felix opened his mouth, but Avery was faster. "They're employed in our interest," he told her, nodding, essentially saying yes with perhaps some hidden no. "And I suppose... busy as they are... we might speed their attention to the right place by talking to one of our friends among them."

The twins exchanged a look. If they hadn't been on the same page about a few key issues, Felix might have interjected. As it was, the expression on Avery's face right then was enough to satisfy him and he stayed quiet.

Bobbi: Looking toward Avery as he answered, and then shared a look with his brother, Liessel said, "They would accept what I've told you?"

Char: "Ah--"

"No," Felix said.

"--likely not," Avery finished.

Bobbi: From one brother to the other she looked, "What would you tell them, then?"

Char: "I'm sure we'll think of something," Avery told her. "Leave it to us."

"Your gates," Felix broke in, changing the subject. "They admit one person at a time? Their area of action is a limited measurement?"

Bobbi: Not quite sure how to take that answer, Liessel wasn't -quite- prepared to let it rest. Rest it would, though, at least for the moment. To Felix she answered, "The most I've ever heard of going through the gates at one time was five." There was a small nod given with the reply, a bit off sided due to the quickness with which rails were changed.

Char: Felix did some private calculation before he stepped in toward Liessel, and thereby also toward Victoria and Avery. "Five, bunched like us? Or five, spread out?"

Bobbi: "Like this, close together. If there is too much space between people, there is a chance not everyone would make it through to the same place."

Char: "Ah!" Felix finally looked delighted. "That is interesting!"

"You can't booby-trap the stage, Felix," Avery told him firmly.

Victoria stiffened up in alarm.

Felix opened his mouth.

"You can't. No." Avery looked ready to argue the point.

"What if I'm the booby-trap?" Felix asked. He looked at and gestured to the elephant gun.

"What if they're performing?"

"I'd think not being murdered by a group of interdimensional thugs might take precedent over some frippy performance, don't you?" By that time, Felix was taking up the big shotgun and resting it easily against his shoulder.

"Frippy performance!" Victoria's eyes were wide.

"Frippy isn't even a word," Avery noted.

"It gets the point across," Felix said.

Bobbi: "The lack of importance to you," Liessel said, focus on Felix, "Should not dismiss the amount importance to others, Mr Flynn."

Char: "It--" The word got stuck. Felix's lips sealed for a second before he tried again: "That isn't--Avery?" Asking for help.

His brother sailed in to rescue him. "My brother means that its import recedes in relation to the weight of the matter described by Miss Erphale," he told Victoria--though he included Liessel herself by looking to her also. "In relation to the possibility of harm coming to the troupe--or to you." He leveled Felix with a heavy look. "I'm sure he meant no offense."

The verbal equivalent of a sharp elbow to the ribs.

"Ah--no," Felix said on cue. "I thought it was obvious. Forgive me."

Avery winced slightly but tried to quickly patch that hole, too. "Of course your interest is primarily in ensuring the safety of everyone involved."

"Y-es...." Felix said, watching Avery's face now sidelong, following the trail his twin was laying for him, so that he could find his way out of the thorns.

Bobbi: "Then you would not object to leaving that weapon of your's behind? Or, in the very least, to carrying something smaller? If safety is a concern, and the possibility stands that Victoria's friends might both be present, and in danger, would something more subtle not be the better choice, even if you are not laying a trap?"

Char: "Felix," Avery began, his tone one of warning.

"That's--How did you even--This is ridiculous," Felix managed to get out, his black eyes focused on Liessel. "If you're not a liar, then you've told a tale of magical enslavement and enemies who may come from your home to England. My priorities are, I think, in fine order."

Bobbi: She was turning her head toward Avery, looking his way, "Talk some sense into him, please!" And then she was looking toward Felix once more, "Is the prospect of catching Septimius, and anyone who comes with him, that much more important than securing the lives that we know are already endangered? How is waving that...thing..." she motioned toward the elephant gun, "going to do anyone any good if people start to panic?"

Char: "You're the one who has latched on to some feather-brained image of an ambush with innocents arou--" Felix snapped, only to be arrested by Avery stepping directly in front of him, and thus between him and Liessel.

Victoria seemed shocked by all of it, and finally sank onto the arm of the sofa, staring between them all. Unfocused, she was perhaps envisioning new and wild scenarios that had not occurred to her before.

"Felix, breathe," Avery said very lowly, drawn up so close to his twin that their breaths met and they nearly touched noses. Felix looked down and off to the side, Avery watched his face. "We're all running on nearly no rest... Miss Erphale has come to us for help. There's no cause to get worked up over this."

"She's posited that I would--"

"It doesn't matter," Avery said in the same gentle tone, practiced into a soothing drone over the course of years, ending in a calm upnote each time he finished a thought. "She's our guest. You're her host. I know what you meant. I know you didn't imagine what she suggested."

Felix's mouth was sealed, and he stood with posture perfected by anger, but Avery was working on him. His shoulders set a fraction lower.

"... It's still early hours. We agree we have to see for ourselves. Calmly. Armed with reason, yes?"

"Yes."

"Using appropriate methods, yes?"

"Yes."

"And appropriate force, where necessary, yes?"

"Yes."

"And you still can't booby-trap the stage."

"Yet," Felix said.

"We'll talk about it later," Avery promised.

Bobbi: For just the smallest of moments Liessel watched Avery and Felix before she turned away to close her eyes and breathe in the calming influence of the Blessed. She stood with her hands clasped together, head bowed. If she had been in a church she may have looked like any other parishioner going about their daily prayers.

Char: Keeping his tone very gentle, Avery said: "Why don't you go see if you can get in touch with Cat? No matter how we proceed, we're going to need the help of another lady."

Felix nodded and left the room with a glance that took them all in, and his gun still in hand.

In his wake, Avery sighed and turned back around. "It's a tense morning for everyone," he said first. "Perhaps we can agree to assume the best of one another to get through it? Let me pour more tea."

Bobbi: Her vocations held true for just a few moments longer before her hands released, her right hand rising, finger tips touching to the halfmoon on her forehead. Liessel turned, but toward Victoria first. She reached to lay a gentle hand on Miss Pemmel's shoulder, "I am sorry to have gotten you, and your friends, pulled into my mess."

Char: Avery had gone back to the low table and was pouring tea anyway.

Victoria reached out for Liessel's other hand. Like Felix, her mouth opened, but the flood of realizations continued and at that moment swept away the niceties she might have said--and likely meant--because they suddenly felt very small to her.

Bobbi: For Avery, Liessel's cup was all but full though now it was rather cool. With Victoria, Liessel tried to smile, to think of something encouraging to say. She only just let Victoria take her other hand and gave a mild squeeze before looking toward Avery, "Will -- will your brother be alright?"

Char: Surprise brought Avery's head up as he readied a fresh cup to offer to Victoria. "Felix? Oh--yes. Yes." Teapot in one hand, cup in the other, Avery straightened up and thought for a moment. A frown slowly developed on a face not entirely made for one. "He'll be alone for a moment, in the quiet, and that will help. But it just occurred to me that I probably owe him an apology. And you. I think this might have been my fault. --Will you sit?"

The question was meant for both ladies, but Victoria clearly looked to Liessel first before budging.

Bobbi: It was not a rough movement that brought Liessel's hands away from Victoria. She'd shifted enough to give Avery the room he needed, and let go of Victoria's hand so she could accept the cup Avery brought with him. "Yes, of course," an encouraging smile was shown to Victoria before Liessel slipped around to occupy a seat on the couch.

Char: Victoria sat, carefully smoothing the skirt of her gown, and was quiet. The cup of fresh tea became an excuse not to talk for a moment.

Avery took his own seat again, apparently easy with letting the quiet settle, so it was Victoria who broke it first, looking Liessel in the eyes: "Should we close the theater?"

It hurt to think of it, but the dreams of her career felt petty if she accepted the full reality of Liessel's story. And now, more than ever, she was sliding toward that.

Bobbi: "It might be wise to," Liessel, roused from the slinky depths of her own thoughts, gave a shallow nod, "At least until we know what kind of threat Septimius and the surveyors will be to your friends. If I had had any control over where I was going to appear, if I had had any mind or knowledge of where the gates were going to bring me, I would have been so much more careful, please believe that."

Char: Victoria looked pained, but she nodded. The fame was one thing. It was a powerful lure--to be adored! To be celebrated! To have your name on so many lips! And last night was her first taste of it. But it was more than that: the performance's success was rent for so many. It was a meal for people when otherwise prosperity could vary widely. The Tybalt was not the usual haunt of uppercrust British society, after all. That Grace of Egypt had netted such adoration was a miracle.

Still, petty wasn't it, if it proved there could be real danger? For even with prosperity ebbing and flowing, they'd lived, and mostly unmolested.

At barely twenty years old, Victoria Pemmel felt entirely ill-equipped to handle this.

But enough seconds had passed that she could say: "I know that; I do believe it; of course I do."

From down the stairs, a low murmur--Felix's voice--could be heard. The words did not make it up to them, but all that could be heard was the cadence of half of a conversation. He was using the telephone.

Avery said, "I promise you: Felix was not suggesting that we trap the stage with your fellows trodding it. And I have to say... if we know exactly the point from which Miss Erphale’s pursuers must come and go, we'd be foolish not to consider making use of that knowledge."

Bobbi: "Victoria," Liessel had looked Avery's way as he spoke, but was then refocused on the actress, "You know the theater inside and out?"

Char: A nod preceded Victoria's, "I do, yes." She glanced to Avery and back.

Bobbi: "Would it be possible, then, to convince your group to move performances -- if only for a little while? For repairs to the building, or something along those lines. That way performances can continue while an eye is kept on your theater?"

Char: Victoria's face was blank. "Move to where?"

No spark of understanding lit Avery's face, either.

Bobbi: "Anywhere that might shelter you. I don't know this....England.... at all. Is there no where that would give your group sanctuary?"

Char: Victoria sat there inadvertently doing her best stunned-Felix impersonation. Her mouth opened. She managed one syllable ("I--") before looking to Avery for help.

Yes, it was a spectacular performance, and for an encore Avery sailed in to translate between humans, right on cue.

"They're competitors, you see," he told Liessel, doing his best to walk the line so that he could explain the principle to Liessel without assuming that she did not, in fact, know. "Theaters are special structures, tailored to the needs of performances--"

"Yes," Victoria said, nodding, glad Avery was willing to do the heavy lifting while her brain caught up.

"--and you can't just find them anywhere. Even stellar singers like Miss Pemmel, and fine troupes such as that housed by the Tybalt, must attract their evening audience. I daresay rival troupes would unfortunately be grateful for the closure of another theater for even a short time, and would not even have the flexibility to offer up their stage in the evening hours if they wished to."

Bobbi: "I hadn't realized," she said quietly, looking between Avery and Victoria. If she had felt bad about it all before, now she felt completely horrid for what she'd brought to the little theater. Frowning just a bit, Liessel reached for her tea, "Aside from closing the theater, what other options are at the Tybalt's disposal, then? Such a thing would not be a concern where I come from. Stories are for all to share."

Char: Options... Victoria was not in the financial circle of the Tybalt, and she would never have breathed a word of her assessment aloud, but Osric Steinham was by far the best-paid performer they had, and he was a drunk who had been turned out from his last two roles for his lack of reliability. Andrew Lord, the owner, was himself doing well enough, she supposed, judging by his carriage and his servants and his current most-prized possession--a motorcar he liked to show off when he arrived for opening nights. But options he might consider? And options that would protect the cast and crew?

Avery could see Liessel's sympathy as if it were a light shining out of her. He knew how it would have boggled Felix--not the sympathy itself, but how, for Felix, life-and-death struggles weighed against issues of comfort simply won out, no question, no hesitation, because there was no room in him to even pretend the lines were blurred. There was a dimension to it all that he and Felix had not shared aloud, too. It was good that Felix was right then talking to Cat (he hoped) instead.

Licking his lips, Avery sat forward. "Let us not lose focus. You're a foreigner here, Miss Erphale, but you've seen your fellow priestesses murdered, you say, and we English do not turn a blind eye to such things."

Sometimes the word English worked magic.

Victoria certainly answered to it. The subtle call to her Englishness caused her to draw herself up straighter where she sat. Any hypocrisy in Avery's claim (and there was a tremendous amount) was immaterial. To be British meant to be stalwart and bold and just, and nevermind when it did not.

Bobbi: "I have," a breath had been drawn in, allowed to fill her chest before she answered, "And I would like to see no more death if it is avoidable, no more suffering if it can be arranged, Mr Flynn. I think I've seen as much tragedy as I can handle in my life right now to impose it on someone else."

Char: "Good lady," Avery said, nodding. "Let us do as we planned: scout the Tybalt, see what must be done. You said this Septimius was once a good man; perhaps he can be so again. What's needed now is information. And it seems you've told us what you can, so now we have to investigate."

Bobbi: The priestess nodded, her tea cup held on its saucer and nestled lightly against her lap, held with delicate fingers, "Thank you for your help, Mr Flynn."

Char: "It's what we do. --Miss Pemmel? Perhaps you could help Miss Erphale orient herself to the city--I have a map just here...." He rose and went to find it among the vertical stacks of books. It took some careful balancing of books, but he slid a large folded square of paper out from the midst of them and returned. "I'll check on Felix. --And take this."

He retrieved a pale card from the mantel and offered that specifically to Liessel. "Should anything happen, this is us. Someone should be able to direct you back here."

The card read:

Flynn & Flynn
Missing persons located.
Fires for the fireless.
Curios for the curious.

91 Kings Orchard End
London

Bobbi: As Avery went to retrieve the map, Liessel leaned forward and placed her tea cup on the low table, freeing her hands to take the map as Avery brought it to her. It was followed by the card he handed to her. If the spell worked just as well on written language as it did for the spoken word she'd take a second to read it. If not, she'd slip the little card of scribbles into the pouch that hung from the belt she wore around her blue robes. "Thank you," she said to him again, and was then looking toward Victoria. "Are you okay?"

Char: The spell did indeed carry over to the written word, as Liessel learned hours before with the spine of the book.

"Yes," Victoria said slowly. "This is so difficult to take in. I keep thinking I understand. Then I think Avery will kiss me. Or I'll kiss him. Then I realize I don't understand enough of it. Or any of it. These gate... -things... Are they mag--" She stopped herself. "No one else is going to believe any of this."

Bobbi: "Do they need to believe it? How can I better help you to understand?" Mention of a kiss between Miss Pemmel and Mr Avery Flynn had brought just a momentary smile from Liessel, when it was gone in its wake was concern. It wasn't a tight frown, nothing thin lipped and disapproving, but there was no smile.

Char: "Shouldn't they come to know if their world suddenly has a hole in it?" Victoria asked. Then something struck her. "... other than holes into Faerie?" She sniffed and reached to unfold the map. "Here. I'm supposed to be assisting you."

Bobbi: "You mentioned that place before -- Fearie," she handed the map over and leaned in to see, "What is it? Is it like England?"

Char: "Well, no...." Victoria coughed, feeling certainty fall out from underneath her. "It is another world, joined I suppose with ours. A fantastical place. But here--this is a map of the city of London."

And it was a gnarled, tightly drawn mess, nearly black in places with hand-drawn details and notes. Indeed, a few locations were circled, or covered in illegible handwriting.

Bobbi: "London." Liessel whispered as she looked the map over. The scribbles were so dense and close together that she couldn't read them. It led her to pointing to a particularly dense spot, "What area of the city is that?"

Char: "Oh," Victoria said with a frown. "That's the East End. Best to avoid it, if you can. It's a dirty place. --but here, you see, it borders the river Thames."

With her finger she traced the river along the southern edge of the East End and beyond it, and then traced it backward across the city. "Let me see where we are now...."

She would go on to try to orient the map to the street that fronted the downstairs bookshop. That street was called Kings Orchard End, and Victoria showed the general area of the bookshop, then would take some time to find the Tybalt for Liessel. She'd trace the route she and Liessel had taken in the dark, and then do her best to describe and point out the locations of landmarks. Big Ben, Westminster, Buckingham Palace, the bridges, and so on....

Bobbi: Liessel took it all in with deep interest, reaching out to trace streets with a finger as they were pointed out. The points of interest that Victoria pointed out were asked about. What was Big Ben? And was Buckingham really a palace? Her questions ended with Liessel tracing the Thames with a finger, "Can you take me here?" She asked Victoria.
"Please."

Char: "The river?" Victoria blinked. As a lifelong Londoner, she tended to think of the Thames as a smelly necessity populated by dirty laborers and dangerous people. She tended to think that despite coming from a working class family herself. "Why?"

Bobbi: Retracing the line of the river Liessel said, "Because I think I've seen it before."

Char: That made the young singer blink. "Where would you have seen it?"

Bobbi: "In Geissel's palace. She had maps from all over on display -- gifts from men she wooed." She looked up at Victoria, "None had a city named London, but I do remember seeing this river on one of them."

Char: Blinking at the map, Victoria tilted her head and said, "All rivers look similar, don't they...?" But she couldn't dredge up conviction about that. "We should tell Avery."

Bobbi: It was more than the river. It was the way it cut through the city, and how it moved with the land. Victoria's words were enough to make her consider with some doubt. "Should we? What if I'm wrong?"

Char: Victoria blinked, and then slowly sank into herself in a way that was not visible. It was a settling. She tried to form a thought. "It's... That would be important, wouldn't it?" she stammered.

Bobbi: "You have me wondering if I'm right. I know I've seen this before," she said as a way of clarifying the quick uncertainty she was feeling, a finger tracing along a curve of the Thames on the map, "it just looks so familiar. But, like you said -- don't they all look similar?"

Char: "What--Well, Miss Erphale...." Victoria stared at the map, trying to decide if she could find anything especially English about the Thames. She was also trying to act like Liessel and the Flynns, to be part of their world. Worlds. "You... were often in Geissel's palace?"

Bobbi: Liessel gave a small nod, "Nearly every day."

Char: "So you saw it many times?" Victoria asked slowly, nodding just as slow while she watched Liessel's face.

Bobbi: "Yes," she replied.

Char: "We should tell him," Victoria said. "Let him decide what it might mean."

Bobbi: Sitting back, Liessel kept her eyes on the map and the winding line that was the river in question. After a few seconds she nodded resolutely and looked up at Victoria, still a mix of certainty and doubt. Still, she said, "Alright." Before moving to rise.

Char: Victoria followed suit, folding the map once, then again, along worn creases, and obviously preparing to follow Liessel.
And so the hunt began for their hosts. Against the floorboards of the apartment Liessel moved with barely a sound from her uncovered feet, uneasy as they were with her memory quite foggy regarding details from the previous night's quick and harrowed trip through the place.

It was easy enough to navigate, however: Liessel and Victoria had been escorted upstairs once coming inside, and the soft sound of conversation came from down those same stairs.

The hunt would end around the foot of the stairs, in an alcove situated under the lower half of the bannister. Nearing it, the words "... got you into trouble. I apologize," could be heard, low and private.

"She won't trust me now. It will be as with Lady Sutton."

"No--don't worry. I won't let it get that bad."

Bobbi: Nearly at the bottom of the steps Liessel chose to call out, "Mr Flynn?" Finding her way hadn't been that hard, and having found Flynn and Flynn she thought it rude to eavesdrop.

Char: Avery looked up and stepped back into the hallway. "Here," he called by way of welcoming them down. Liessel had not sounded afraid, and her calm was reflected back.

Bobbi: She was coming down the steps carefully, minding the length of the robes she was wearing, and behind her was Victoria with folded map in hand, "That map you gave us," she said on reaching the bottom, "I think I recognize your river -- The Thames?" A glance went toward Victoria to make sure she'd gotten the name right.

Char: Down there was the mudroom and a closet, but back further the walls of the hallway were recessed for bookshelves that were utterly packed. Open doorways beyond gaped dark, but the whole place smelled of leather, binding glue, and wood polish. It was chilly near the door through which Liessel and Victoria had entered the building, and that was shut up tight, but there was another door there that must have led into the front half of the building--the bookshop.

Victoria missed her cue to nod, but Liessel had indeed gotten the name right so Avery was already asking, "Recognize it how, Miss Erphale?"

Felix stayed where he was. The alcove was not deep, and housed their telephone at a slim desk with a tall leather-topped stool.

Bobbi: "I believe I've seen it before, in Geissel's palace -- on one of the many maps she keeps." She was speaking to Avery, but by the end her eyes had strayed to Felix to who she smiled. It had been difficult to not hear that last snippet of the conversation he was having with Avery, and while it was no true apology, it was as apologetic an expression as it could be.

Char: For his part, Felix's gaze found a point along the outer seam of his brother's pants leg and stayed there, only lifting to eye Avery twice--the second time with emphatic and lingering interest when Liessel mentioned Geissel's palace and maps. He never looked Liessel's way, or past her to where Victoria took up station behind the priestess.

Avery frowned. The chief implication--that Liessel's appearance at the Tybalt was not the first contact made between her world and theirs--was obvious. But other implications followed like a great snarl of spiderweb.

"Do you... recall anything else about that particular map?" Avery asked.

Bobbi: Avery pulled her attention back to him, and with a nod she answered, "London wasn't on it. The river was there, but the city wasn't. There was a village, or maybe a town, but nothing at all like what's on the map you gave us."

Char: "Was it drawn on paper? Like that one?" Felix asked it very quietly, with narrowed eyes focused on his brother's shoulder.

Bobbi: "Paper, yes, but not like your map. It had a different texture. It didn't look so....pressed." she answered Felix, looking his way again.

Char: Avery watched Felix obliquely, then nudged him sternly with that same shoulder so that he straightened up. Felix cleared his throat but didn't do more than brush the ladies with a look. "What about the medium that was used to draw it? Was it like ours?"

Bobbi: "No," Liessel shook her head slightly, "It was done with thicker ink. It looked hand drawn, as with many of Geissel's maps." At the bottom of those steps she stood there talking to the brothers once more. Around her the smell of book binding glue was like an odd perfume in the air, it was a compliment to the smell of leather in a weird way.

Char: "What do your people use?" Felix asked.

Avery picked up the thread with a nod. "Yeah--paper and ink? Printing, like ours?"

Bobbi: "Here, like this," She was twisting just slightly, opening the pouch at her belt that was heavy with its contents, and fished out a folded piece of something that was slightly thicker than parchment. Unfolded, it was covered in a thick black ink in hand scrawling that read 'Forever in bond with the breath of the Blessed, life will always be peaceful.' It was a fragment, a piece that had belonged to something bigger. She was offering it over to the twins to see.

Char: It was Felix who took the scrap, reading it (thanks no doubt to the newest string bracelet in his collection), turning it over to glimpse the back, rubbing his thumb to the edge, and then letting Avery take it to do very much the same.

Victoria watched mutely.

"This is typical?" Felix asked. "You would say... the hand-drawn map used our materials, or yours? Or that there are too many similarities to be sure?"

Bobbi: "That," she motioned toward what she'd handed over to the Flynns, "Is typical. Our paper is not as thin as your's. Nothing is printed quite as ....as...crisply.... what's on your map."

Char: Long ago, where London now sprawled in cancerous glory, there had been a village. Then the Romans had come, and the settlement had grown, and gained, and bitten down into the earth, clamping on tight to hold fast against the coming ages. London had burned. London had frozen. London survived, and England--and then Great Britain, and now the world-spanning British Empire--with it. There were many ages from which crude paper and thick ink could have traveled to Geissel's palace.

At this early stage, the Flynns were not at all convinced of Liessel's story, though they were inclined to want to be, but it seemed clear that if it was true they should not assume that Liessel's disorientation would be shared by her pursuers.


"I spoke to Cat," Felix told his brother lowly. "She can come this afternoon. She said two o'clock."

Bobbi: There was a little flicker of excitement within her, and it was growing. Here she thought she'd found herself to completely forgein land, but perhaps it wasn't so truly alien after all! Even if the connection as just recognizing the river, it was enough to feel like she hadn't been entirely at the mercy of the gates! The Blessed were, indeed, kind! "Victoria," she turned to look back to where Miss Pemmel stood, "Can your return home wait that long?"

Char: The change in Liessel's expression was visible. Victoria, standing behind her, missed the transformation. She blinked at Liessel's new energy. "I... I have to get a little more sleep... then present myself before four. In case Adaline proves unable to perform...."

It was bad to hope someone's nerves were shattered so you could take their place. It wasn't as bad to hope you had so dazzled an audience with your talents that new arrangements would be made on your behalf.

"You can sleep here," Avery offered, "and then our sister could accompany you to the theater."

Felix glanced at him, but kept his mouth shut.

"Didn't you wish me to introduce you?" the young woman asked. All the potentials that had been hinted at or tossed out were dizzying to her.

"Maybe looking around on our own will be enough for now. We have Miss Erphale's description of her pursuer to work with. Later, we may have a serviceable sketch as well."

Bobbi: Adaline... Her energy waned a bit with recognition. The night before, Adaline was the woman that she had scared half-to-death with her appearance! She was quiet in these moments, letting Avery, Felix, and Victoria sort out Miss Pemmel's affairs for the day. Liessel, herself, was still going to be there waiting for Cat while the Flynns went on their investigation.

Char: Victoria looked torn, but Avery assured her that no one would think ill of her if she slept. The catch came when she asked how she and Liessel would be protected if the Flynn brothers skipped off to the Tybalt. In answer, Felix said, "Our sister is--" and Avery swept in with "--well-connected. We would never leave you defenseless."

A clock in the hall ticked quietly while Victoria felt out how this should all work. Sleep now... go later... and maybe somewhere in there have a moment of stillness to really think without being swept away by another fancy. She finally nodded.

"Very well."

Which meant that the next flurry of activity was getting Victoria back upstairs, while the Flynns (Avery, in fact) assured her that they would scout out her rooms as well as the Tybalt, and do what they could to see to the safety of her friends.

Bobbi: Liessel was a tag-a-long by that point, following Avery and Victoria back up the stairs. She'd head for the parlor, and busy herself by gathering the morning's breakfast dishes, grabbing a nibble of cold bacon as she did so.

Char: With that settled, the Flynns found themselves with a list of requests from Victoria--written down in Felix's handy little notebook. She was going to need a few things that she wouldn't have time to gather herself. Avery promised that he'd send someone named Eddie for all the items on her list.

Felix strode into the parlor, but apparently thought better of it when he realized it was already occupied.

Bobbi: When Felix came into the parlor, Liessel was bent slightly to gather up the tea cups, arranging them on the tray that had been used to carry them into the room. At the sound of footsteps coming in, she turned and caught sight of him as he was turning to make his escape. She straightened, wiping her hands together as if riding them of some unseen dirt, "Mr Flynn, wait a moment, please."

Char: It stopped him. He looked back, wariness there and then hidden. "Miss Erphale?"

Bobbi: "I," her hands folded together as she started, palms together until she motioned toward him and opened them slightly, "Believe I owe you an apology."

Char: One of Felix's eyebrows quirked inward slightly with wary humor. "Ah. I'm usually the one offering the apologies. But I accept."

Bobbi: The smile that came to her was a kind one, she hid it behind the round of her knuckles as she lifted them to her lips and breathed out softly, "Thank you." Deeply heartfelt were those two words, and entirely sincere.

Char: He started to nod, stopped, and then actually nodded, obviously a bit off-balance. He stood there like he might have said something, but was second-guessing himself. He nodded again instead. A change of tone helped, too. "You'll be safe today. Catrona is very good."

Bobbi: Her hands fell away from her lips but remained folded together, "If she is anything like you and your brother, Mr Flynn, I have no doubts about that. I am -deeply- grateful for the care you and your brother are taking to help me -- to keep both Miss Pemmel and I safe."

Char: "And London," he told her. "Miss Pemmel, you, and London." He glanced up the hall, but Avery had not reappeared, so Felix was still a moment. "Your name...."

The young man cocked his head and his black eyes found Liessel's. "What does it mean?"

Bobbi: And London. Liessel nodded to that, giving him a smile. Of course. London would not be forgotten. She, herself, was still for a moment after that as Felix asked what her name meant. She was focused on him, still, and quietly took her time in answering with, "It means Gift of the Blessed."

Char: He nodded, eyes cast low while he thought some more. Another look to the hall; still no Avery. "You see, your name is very like a name from another land. Not part of Great Britain, but well-known here. And the name 'Septimius,' also, is not so foreign. From the Latin, we find 'Septimus'--meaning 'seventh born.'"

Bobbi: "Great Britain -- Latin? What are these?" Her expression was quick to turn from what it had been just that second before into one of questioning. Her eyes carried the weight of it, her brow slightly pinching inward, as she attempted to grasp the concept of what Felix was saying.

Char: "Great Britain the name of the kingdom of which England is a part, yes? London--this city--is the capital. Latin is an ancient language of great influence over later tongues--English among them."

Bobbi: "So, my name and Septimius' are both known to you because of this language, Latin?" It was easy enough to understand how Great Britain related to both England and London. The language on the other hand.... It was difficult to imagine how that would be possible.

Char: Felix frowned slightly. "Only Septimius' seems to stem from Latin. My point is that your names are influenced by ours, or ours by yours, and in either case at some point our worlds share more connection than a single map."

Bobbi: "Perhaps because of the Blessed," She offered, seeking to bridge ideas, "It is written, and believed, that the founders of where I came from traveled great distances before we came to know them. Maybe it's all connected through them."

Char: : "Maybe," Felix said carefully. Everything he said now carried the shine of caution on it, lest he be misunderstood again. The most normal he sounded was when he got into his observation about the names, but he still spoke as if he were in a library, all hushed.

Bobbi: After a moment of standing in awkward silence, Liessel cast a glance down to the dishes she had already piled onto the tray, "Well, I won't keep you, Mr Flynn." She bent and took the tray in hand, "You must have preparations to make..."

Char: "Avery is...." The young man frowned. "... usually better with clients."

Bobbi: Tray in her hands, Liessel gave Felix a small smile, "He mentioned to me that he feels to blame for our misunderstanding. I, however, believe it to sit on my shoulders. You did nothing to warrant my harsh words, Mr Flynn. Neither did you brother."

Char: Felix considered that. Then he met her eyes. "He said that it was possible that my part in it stemmed from misreading your possible pain over what happened to Septimius. That you may not think of him as your enemy, only as a victim, though you fear him. If so, then I did misread, and should have said nothing."

Bobbi: "Your brother is right about that. He may have become a cruel man, dangerous and ruthless. But he was once a kind, and as caring as you and your brother. Geissel took advantage of that, in him and in many others. So, whatever may happen to him, even if it does happen to be the cost of his life, I do not wish to see him in any further pain."

Char: Felix nodded. "I apologize."

Bobbi: "It’s alright. Apology accepted."

Char: Another nod. And quietly he added: "Not for saying that the performance is secondary amidst these concerns--though perhaps for the way that I said it."

Bobbi: "Well, I have no place here to agree with that. But, I know what danger possibly follows me, and for that I can agree that if a performance needs to be canceled, or rescheduled because of the danger that is apparent to me, then it should be done. For the sake of the players."

Char: That silenced Felix. He looked like he wasn't sure what to do with her sudden agreement when mere minutes before she'd been scolding him like a frazzled schoolmistress. So he nodded. That helped grease the treads, and he said, "I'm glad it seems not so harsh an idea now. Anyway... Never fear. Avery tends to make those decisions."

Bobbi: "No, it makes sense," Liessel said, her head dipping just slightly in a nod, "but it’s important to Miss Pemmel. I've disrupted her life enough, I think."

Char: Hesitant, Felix waited a moment before responding. He spent that moment concentrating on Liessel's expression. On sifting back by a heartbeat or two to search her tone for hints of traps. "She is...." Evidently he sensed one, because he stopped that train dead on its tracks, but the trap was not of Liessel's making. "I mean to say: it is unfortunate, but you appear to have done the best that could have been done under such dire circumstances."

A subtly held breath. Like a schoolboy waiting to hear whether he got an answer right or wrong.

Bobbi: With the way she looked at him it could have been a side-eye had she not been looking at Felix straight on. She gave the twin a little smile that lasted only as long as his hesitation. "You have a good heart, Mr Flynn. You and your brother both."

Char: For a further moment, he was still. Then some steel melted out of him a little and he returned the smile. "We do try to do the right thing."

Bobbi: "That is all the Blessed can every really ask of us." The weight of the tray in her hands shifted as if she were going to attempt to free a hand as she spoke but then thought better of the idea and didn't.

Char: The muffled cadence of voices grew a touch louder.

Felix turned his head slightly before focusing again on Liessel. "I would like to ask you something. Avery has advised against it."

Bobbi: "Then perhaps I should put this down..." A small glance had gone past Felix at the sounds of muffled voices drawing closer, and then she was turning to place the tray back on the table. Just a few seconds passed in that before she was looking his way again, "Go on."

Char:
He watched her, and gave the slightest nod when she was ready. Hurried and unhurried at the same time, he asked: "Do you know how to use the Eye in the way that you describe Geissel as doing so?"

Bobbi:
"N....o...." even while immediate the answer was a slow one, not hesitant in its coming just unsure in its tone, "It is not a gift I am blessed with knowing the use of. --Is -- will that be a problem?"


Char:
"No," Felix said, and his 'no' was quick, firm. And relieved. He had a knack for knowing when people spoke the truth and when they lied. It had not yet let him down. "No; it's not a bad thing for that knowledge to be fairly exclusive, under the circumstances. Though such knowledge could be a means by which to undo the enslavement of your high surveyor."

Bobbi:
"You mean that if I knew," there was a slow pointing toward herself with the fingers of her right hand, "I could try using it on Septimius to reverse what Geissel has done?" Those self-pointing fingers were rising to the mark on her forehead where they rested just briefly as she continued, "I didn't think of that. The idea just hadn't occurred to me as being possible."

Char:
"We can't know," Felix told her, "but often the means of disenchantment seem to parallel in some way the means of the original enchantment. If 'enchantment' this even is. Regardless, in searching for a solution, the principle is a sound one, as a place to start. Even so, as I said, I'm relieved to think that not just anyone could use the object in such a way."

Bobbi:
Liessel's hand dropped slowly away from her face as Felix spoke, "The Blessed were very wise to not make all of their secrets known to all of their children. I cannot tell you how Geissel knew how to use The Eye, but she was the only one in my years that could do it. If there is a way of learning how, even to possibly help Septimius, would it be worth learning? Would it be something to look into, knowing what The Eye can do?"

Char:
"With every new holder of the secret, it becomes more probable that--"

Avery and Victoria came up the hallway to appear in the doorway behind Felix. He turned to make way, stepping back, and Avery, who had heard the last part, frowned a little and looked between Felix and Liessel.

Bobbi:
That -- The interruption came in the blink of an eye. Avery and Victoria had been coming closer, but on entering the room Felix had been cut-off. "I'm sorry," She said, looking toward Felix, having caught the frown on Avery's face, "It was a careless question." Her words were just as heartfelt as they had been before, although they had been spoken now for Felix's benefit -- a way of keeping peace, and of keeping Felix out of any argument he might have with Avery over the subject.

Char:
"No, not at all," Felix said, puzzled by her reaction, though he did glance at Avery.

"You're... getting along, I see...?" Avery asked. As Liessel had spoken for Felix's benefit, so did Avery speak for hers, to make certain no lines had been crossed. It was obvious enough from the look on her face that Liessel wasn't distressed, and that Felix had chipped himself at least partway out of the plaster version of himself he tended to construct when he was unsure why things weren't going well.

Victoria had returned, it seemed, to retrieve her shawl, and Avery handed it to her with a distracted smile, instinctively ready to protect everyone from everyone.

Bobbi:
"Yes," she answered Avery, "Quite well, actually."


Char:
"Oh." Avery was bemused. Pleasantly surprised, it soon became apparent. "... Good. Well done. Excellent. --Ah, I can take those, Miss Erphale." He'd spotted the tray on the table behind her.

Bobbi:
"I do not mind, Mr Flynn," she said with a smile, "You were kind enough to share your food, the least I can do to repay that is clean up after the meal -- though I might need instruction on where you'd prefer everything goes."


Char:
"Don't be silly!" he laughed. "It's very kind of you, but I won't have guests doing the dishes."

For once, Felix got to be the brother subtly signalling to someone that a topic should be dropped. In this case, he shrugged when he caught Liessel's eye and shook his head slightly.

Bobbi:
Motion from Felix caught, expression read, and Liessel was once more looking at Avery, "Well, if -- if you insist. But do not think me an ungrateful guest," she spared a moment to turn and pick the tray back up. Once in hand she was carrying it toward Avery.


Char:
That seemed to reset the world back into an acceptable mold for Avery, and he thanked Liessel.

Victoria retired back to the bedroom with a faint smile and nod for Liessel, and after that there wasn't much to do but wait while the Flynns dressed for being seen and gathered up a small host of tiny tools--including, incidentally, the ugly stone that had glowed faintly in Liessel's presence after she'd arrived. This Felix stuffed down into his shirt and buttoned a waistcoat over.