[ It's about an hour after Ada, Sei, and Ethan left. Nebby has finally found Fyril, who's been, no doubt, gleefully looting the depths of this place. ] (Oh, I can help with that. ^_^) [ Neither are quite sure where they are. All the hallways tend to look the same, more or less. ] [ Session start! ] (And none of those cool map-hook things? Ah well.) ( 'Fraid not. ) * Nebrinel rubs her head, and smiles weakly. "Fyril! Finally!" She looks a little frazzled, for Nebrinel. * Fyril perks up, and looks back over his shoulder at her with a grin. "Hey! You wouldn't believe all the cool stuff there is in this place!" He turns around to look at her, and sets down his bag to open it. * Nebrinel 's eyes widen. "Good lord, Fyril. I hope Faydra is a very understanding woman." * Fyril cocks his head, and regards Nebrinel's expression. "So you managed to get her out of the staff?" He opens the bag, and pulls out a small jar of spices. "I didn't take anything big. Just small stuff." He grins more widely. "It's the principle." * Nebrinel comments cooly, and says, "That's a relief. Yes, she's free." * Fyril dims a little and steps towards Nebrinel. "There a problem? You got her out, right? Why do you look..." He searches for the right word. "... strung out?" * Nebrinel blinks, and chuckles. "Well, yes. I'm thinking about Faydra's offers. She has quite a few things to offer people who are willing to help her." * Fyril nods quickly. "Well, you did help her out already. Living in a stick isn't comfortable. I'd be grateful, too." He looks behind her. "Is everyone else still with her?" * Nebrinel frowns slightly, and gestures to the side, where there is a bench. "I think we should have a seat, Fyril." She blows a strand of hair out of her face. The strand of hair finds its way back into Nebby's face. * Fyril cocks his head, and his smile dims more. "That's not a good way to start a conversation." He moves over towards the bench anyway. "Are you mad that I went off without you?" * Nebrinel shakes her head, and walks. "No, no, I understand." She clasps Fyril's hand and sits down. "No, it's about Ada." * Fyril blinks a few times, and looks down at their hands. "What about her? She's OK, right?" * Nebrinel pulls Fyril down. Hopefully he can sit without falling! [ That he can, and easily. ] * Fyril sits down on the bench somewhat gracelessly, and looks back at Nebrinel wide-eyed. * Nebrinel smiles faintly. "No, she's not dead. They're all fine. At least, for now." She blows that blasted hair out of her face again. "No, Ada decided to leave for some reason I can only attribute to Xivilai, and Ethan and Sei went with her." * Fyril blinks. "What would the Lady have to do with it? I mean, I know Ada and her are connected, but we haven't found what we came for yet." He perks up a bit. "Did we?" * Nebrinel says dryly, "Faydra's free, they took two Great Weapon pieces with them. They were just here for the pieces, they're gone." * Fyril looks down towards Nebrinel's sword somewhat concernedly. "Does that mean you got yours, too?" * Nebrinel shakes her head. "They were for other weapons. She took Hunger and the new pieces and they were gone." She smiles wearily. "I barely had time to make sure she didn't dissapear on us." * Fyril nods, and tries to hide his relief. "OK. So... you stayed behind to look for me?" He reaches for his pack. "Should we go catch up with them now?" * Nebrinel shakes her head. "Not necessarily." She looks at Fyril. "Faydra has promised many Great Weapon pieces. Those two were just a down payment." * Fyril nods, but doesn't really seem all that excited about more pieces. "Down payment for what? Not just as a reward?" * Nebrinel shakes her head. "Maybe, but even moreso, she wants to start a war. For the Empire's Cause. And she wants me to join her in it." * Fyril widens his eyes, and draws back against the bench as he puts stuff together. "So... that's why Ada left?" I think there's something a bit more than that, but she does at least have an excuse. Two masters and all. And Faydra is not a fan of humans anyway. * Fyril nods. "I can understand that. It was hard for me to get used to it." He cocks his head. "But you want to stay here." * Nebrinel gets a light in her eyes. "It's a chance at more Great Weapon pieces. And maybe more. Don't you understand, Fyril?" She looks away. "It's been more than 400 long years, going eveywhere across this blasted continent, without a chance, or finding anything. And I'm so close, now. How could I give that up?" She looks back at Fyril, and her eyes are a little wet. She immediately wipes her eyes with her left hand. * Fyril squeezes Nebrinel's hand comfortingly. "I understand, but we've been finding them pretty quickly even without Faydra's help. We could keep on finding them." * Nebrinel shakes her head, and her face becomes a bit more impassive again. "We've used up all of Xivilai's leads. We're on our own." * Fyril leans forward towards her a bit. "So we could ask Faydra for leads for more, and go find them. If she's willing to give them to you, she'll be willing to tell you where to find them, right?" * Nebrinel smiles wryly. "You'd rather help me steal them from amazingly powerful magicians than have me get involved in a war?" * Fyril nods happily. "Much better at stealing things." * Nebrinel shakes her head, and says softly, more hesitantly, "What... what if Faydra could get rid of my curse, Fyril? You heard what Ada said. It might take Adron himself. This is a chance for that too." * Fyril looks away from her, down towards his bag again. "Can she really do that?" * Nebrinel shakes her head. "I don't know, but you didn't see the kind of laboratory she had, and if she can call in the favors she was talking about... I don't know, Fyril. I just don't know and..." she says, "That bothers me. You understand?" * Nebrinel shakes her head again, almost as if to clear it. * Fyril looks back at her. "You think she can get Adron to fix it for you?" * Nebrinel 's hands clench tighter. "Maybe. Maybe not. I've never been so close, Fyril. We could stick with Faydra with a good chance of everything, or go to Ada and Xivilai with a smaller chance of things, or just strike out on our own with a lot of risk, but a lot more freedom." But whatever we do, we have to go all out. * Fyril hesitates. "I don't want to have to fight against Ada. She helped me out of my town, and now I have a chance to do what I dream of doing." He looks down at their hands. "But you're willing to, aren't you." (Helped you after threatening to kill you. ^^) (Either way, he's gone. ^^) * Nebrinel looks up at Fyril. "It's... part of being a warrior. She and I both know that someday we may have to fight. You can see it in her eyes. We both knew it from the second we met. She works for Xivilai, and I could do anything. If I attacked Xivilai, there'd be no question." * Fyril doesn't look up. He speaks pretty tonelessly. "War... and you want to stay in it." * Nebrinel sighs, and reaches her hand up to Fyril's shoulder. "I... it's part of my life, Fyril. Part of my life, Ada's life, Ethan's life. It's a chance to get what I've been working for for hundreds of years, any way you look at it. But I said we..." she says softly, "And Goddess help me, I meant it." * Fyril looks up again, a troubled look on his face. "I don't think I'd be much use in a war. Thieves, we usually go the other way. So..." He looks off over her shoulder. "I just don't know." * Nebrinel says softly, "I can't imagine you wouldn't be useful. A thief can turn the tide of a battle. But if you can't, then you can't." * Fyril bristles slightly. "You don't think I can?" * Nebrinel 's eyes widen. "No! No, I'd never doubt you could. I just meant..." her voice softens, "...if you didn't want to." (Oh, if only Sei were here.) (Then... what?) ("*laughpoint*") * Fyril looks back down at her face. "You really think this is what you need? That we couldn't do it the other way?" (Then again, Sei is slightly evil that way. :P) We could try. But there's no guarantees. * Fyril hesitates again. "And we have to decide now?" We don't have long. * Fyril bites his lip, and reaches down to his bag. "I don't know. Really. I..." He fumbles around in the bag, and pulls out Jordan with one hand. "I, well. I don't want to keep you from fulfilling what you want, and if you think this is the best way, then... and I could probably do something here. But..." He looks down at Jordan, and turns him to face Nebrinel. * Nebrinel looks down at Jordan. Jordan speaks softly. "But it's a war. If they lose, then they're gone." He shakes his head. * Nebrinel says, "Yeah. Yeah they are." She looks down, and says softly, "Dammit, this shouldn't be that hard." * Fyril looks back up at her. "Shouldn't it be? This's a big decision." * Nebrinel shakes her head. "We don't even know who Faydra is going to war with. Before we decide, let's find out. We have a day." * Fyril nods. "You know where she is?" * Nebrinel smiles weakly. "She'll go back to her bedroom eventually." She squeezes Fyril's shoulder, before standing. * Fyril puts Jordan back in his pack, and leaves it sitting there for a moment. He cocks his head to the side, and looks up and down the hall. "I have no idea where that is, though." He blushes slightly. * Nebrinel says, "I do. I'll lead you." She turns to leave, and smiles slightly. "Don't forget all your stolen goodies." * Fyril picks up his satchel and shoulders it, then steps lightly up behind Nebrinel and hugs her. (Aww!) * Nebrinel 's eyes widen, and she leans back, smiling faintly. "No fair, sneaking up on me, Fyril." ( Awww. ^_^ ) ( Fyril's hug does 3d6 sneak attack damage to Nebby's heart. ;P ) * Fyril shakes his head. "It's fair. It's what I do." He smiles softly. "And you looked like you needed it, anyway." * Nebrinel says softly, "I..." She trails off for a second, then says, "Thank you. Let's go see Faydra." * Fyril lets go, and goes along at her side. He's still blushing slightly. * Nebrinel walks. (Fast foward! Zoom!) ( Wai! Fast forward! ) [ They eventually reach Faydra's room. She is in there, sitting on her bed and reading a book. Everything in her room looks like it's just been cleaned, freshened, and/or polished. ] * Nebrinel waves her hand, and smiles softly. "Your room is looking much better, Faydra." * Fyril heads in behind her, eyes wide, looking around the room at everything. Faydra looks up from her book and smiles. "Thank you, Nebrinel." She looks at Fyril. "And you are Fyril?" * Fyril stops looking around, and nods. "Yeah, that's me." He grins. Faydra nods, puts a bookmark in her book, and sets it aside. She rises and bows slightly. "Then I have you to thank as well for my rescue?" * Fyril runs a hand through his hair, and shrugs somewhat embarassedly. "I guess. It was mostly Nebrinel." Faydra smiles. "Nonesense. You all had a role to play, I'm sure. And for your role, however small, I am quite grateful." * Fyril blushes slightly, nods, and looks over to Nebrinel. Faydra glances around some. "I'm sorry my hospitality is not more abundant at the moment. I rather doubt that there's even any edible food left in here. * Nebrinel looks over at Fyril, smiles faintly herself, and looks back. "A shame. Fyril is a talented cook." * Fyril nods, and grins. "Yeah. I don't really have much with me, but I could probably get something small together." Fadyra chuckles. "Well, that's good to know, at least. I'm not sure how long it'll be before I have new cooks hired." "Once the supply wagons arrive tomorrow, you can, no doubt, cook up a masterpiece or two." * Fyril nods quickly, and his eyes sparkle. "Yeah, that sort of thing's no problem." "Wonderful." She looks thoughtful. "I'll certainly enjoy tasting food again." She smirks. "It's funny how you miss the little things after being locked up in a stick for three hundered years." * Fyril shakes his head. "Food's not a little thing. It's only right that you'd miss it." * Nebrinel stands there, smiling faintly, looking around the room herself. Faydra chuckles. "Of course. And I *do* miss it. But, now, I'm forgetting my manners. What can I do for the two of you, now that you have come here?" * Nebrinel says, "We were interested in finding out more about your cause, actually, Faydra. You hinted to it, but did not state it flat out, as it were." Faydra raises her eyebrows. "Didn't I? If not, then I apologize. I plan to go to war against my mother, who locked me in a staff some three centuries ago, and depose and, if possible, kill her." * Fyril moves his eyes to Nebrinel, keeping quiet in regards to that. * Nebrinel mms faintly. "Seems fair enough. But who does that put you fighting? Intra-empire conflicts are not unknown, after all." "Oh, she is not a power within the Empire. Otherwise I wouldn't have the support of so many Dukes and Counts in opposing her. She has her own nation." * Nebrinel narrows her eyes. "Xivilai, then? There is no other." Faydra smirks. "No, I suppose there isn't." She sighs. "Yes, my mother is Xivilai Shardae. And now you will no doubt abandon my side for fear of her wrath?" * Nebrinel grins... almost ferally. "We have not made our decision, but trust it will not be made with the fear of Xivilai in my heart. She is an elf like any other." Faydra raises an eyebrow and smiles. "Those are impressively bold words, young Nebrinel." * Fyril widens his eyes a bit, but still doesn't say anything. * Nebrinel grins faintly, and gestures with her right hand. "If Xivilai is in my way, I must meet her, like any obstacle, any warrior, any mage. Anything less would be foolish." Faydra smiles. "Of course. A good philosphy." "And so, dear Nebrinel, I must ask; how has this revelation influenced your outlook on this situation? Will you stay with me and support my cause?" * Fyril bites his lip, and waits. * Nebrinel says, with a sad smile, "I think, Faydra, that I would be happy to join your cause wholeheartedly, were I not such a free spirit. Your offer is enticing, but I cannot decide to tie myself down so simply. I hope you understand my reluctance." Faydra looks saddened by this announcement, but she nods understandingly. "Of course, of course. I could not tie you down, bind you to so organized a thing as a military hierarchy, or, gods forbid, a position in government. If you feel you must go, then I understand, and I bid you a warm farewell." * Nebrinel chuckles, and waves her hand. "This doesn't mean I would not be willing to help on a case by case basis. But I must ask, instead, for a different assistance. If you might be so willing." "Of course. What was it you had in mind? * Nebrinel smiles wryly. "Well, if you felt unwilling to help us with great weapons anymore, you could save your valuable favors by merely telling us who might have them, and letting us do the rest." We would, of course, be appreciative of anything you would be willing to do for us, but I understand your position. "Ah, I suppose I could. But only, of course, if you promise only to negotiate for or puchase them. I could never countenance someone stealing from my friends." * Fyril turns and looks back towards Faydra again, eyes still pretty wide, but he still stays quiet. Seems somewhat intimidated, actually. * Nebrinel smiles faintly. "Not even one? Well, that would make it more difficult, but if that's your condition, and you won't spare any for us, then that is just how it will be." Faydra nods. "Of course. I shall talk to my friends, then, and see whom I can convince to be willing to part with one of their pieces for the sake of a friend, and for, of course, a bit of bartering. If you are willing to wait, I can have the list completed by tomorrow evening; if not, I can send a messenger out to find you." * Nebrinel smiles. "Of course we would be willing to wait for someone as gracious as you. And I would certaintly like to keep in touch. I imagine in a few months time you could use a good magess or warrior, for a good price." Faydra smiles. "Naturally." * Nebrinel pats Fyril's arm. "Now that the decision is made, perhaps a small meal can be arranged, Fyril?" * Fyril breaks out of it, and nods. "Yeah, I can put something together. Just tell me where the kitchens are." [ Session End! ]