(2025-05-02) Estel Makes Friends (Makes People Be Friends with Each Other)

Details

Author:	Athena
Summary:	Out there in the world is one very powerful Shadow Man who has now managed to make enemies of two separate teams, one gathered around the Stormwind Guard Lathrik Dinnsfield, and around the very-altruistic Almeiria Fey, and with the friendship making power of Estel Herald, those two teams become one with common goals. More or less. 10k~ words. Part of the Red String Game plot.
Rating:	T for Teen

Arc: The Red String Game

Highbank Docks

Highbank in the midmorning sun is a hive of noise and activity. Marines and infantrymen drill in the open courtyard, messengers hurry here and there, hammers ring against steel at the smithy and wood where the construction of outbuildings and stables continues, and workmen and tradesmen call back and forth over the voices of drill sergeants and hammers alike. A group of shamans of the Earthen Ring huddle at one edge of the yard to confer, and a pair of Wildhammer couriers with tattooed faces make boisterous conversation with the gryphon master.

At the small eastern dock, a new ship has just moored. Sailors swarm industriously in the rigging, while below some burly stevedores are already lugging cargo crates down the gangplank.

Siamus Fallon stands on the dock to one side of this activity, arms folded, in genial conference with the ship's captain. He is not in naval uniform but dressed as casually as any of the longshoremen, in rough trousers and workboots, his sleeves rolled, his collar open at the neck to reveal the bronze anchor pendant and the Tidemother's medallion he wears. He laughs at something the captain says, and offers a grinning rejoinder that makes the captain laugh in return.

A woman makes her way towards Siamus with purpose. She is dressed in a light blue robe with very practical hiking boots underneath, and she wears a wide-brimmed sunhat, which is white with a blue ribbon. Tied around her waist is her Cobalt Company tabard, giving off the heavily folded impression of dark blue with white wings. Estel holds the strap of her messenger bag with one hand and waves cheerfully to Siamus as she calls, "Hey!"

Siamus and the captain both look in the direction of the voice.

It is possible Siamus is not used to being addressed as Hey, because it seems to take him a moment to register that this young lady is speaking to him, and then that he knows this young lady, and then that he ought to know this young lady's name.

He steps away from the captain with a genial excuse and moves to meet Estel partway. "Miss… Herald," he recalls, after an only-slightly-obvious pause. Nailed it. He flashes her a warm smile. "Pleasure to see ye again. Are ye joining the Cobalt squad up here?"

"Estel," she fills in cheerfully. "Nah, my friends and I are here to kill a specific cultist. How're you?" Estel sticks her hands in her pockets. Her robe has pockets!

"Estel — I beg your pardon." He inclines his head to her, still smiling. "Doing very well. Happens I'm also here for a particular cultist, though in this case we're hoping for a rescue rather than a death. How are ye yourself?"

"I'm good!" Estel grabs the brim of her hat as a breeze stirs it. It is tied underneath her chin, at least, so she stands a good chance of keeping it. "That's Solari, yeah? You think she can be rescued?"

There is a beat, a moment's pause, and then Siamus nods. "Aye, well. Her sons are hoping, at least, and I mean to see we do what we can. Your Miss Fey herself came away from the cult, so we know it can be done."

Estel nods. "She had help," she says. "I don't know any of the details, really. We're here to kill her former master, as you probably guessed. Apparently he's somewhere near the Twilight's bastion?" She clearly does not know where this is. "Can we coordinate? I've got a team of three, me and Almeiria and my partner Shun."

Siamus raises his eyebrows. "The scar-faced man? She means to kill him? Our interests align, in that case. We believe he's got a hold of some sort over Solari Farrens. I gave Amerith my word besides that I'd see the man dead."

Estel nods. "Scar-faced man with the blind left eye, yep, that's the one." She grins at him. "Almeiria told me to tell you she'll be there whether you like it or not," she says, laughter in her voice, rolling her eyes. "I think she needs to see that man dead herself, too. For her own sake. She won't feel like her family's safe until she does."

Siamus looks faintly bemused. "Whether I — ? Is there a reason she thought I wouldn't like it?" He knits his brow. "She knows more about the man than any of us. She's the one told us enough about him that I've warned my people on her word. I've hired the lady twice in the past."

Estel laughs, delighted. "Yeah, that's what I figured. She's just… you know the type of person who's been taught that everybody's out to get you, by default? She's got a lot of shit to unlearn. Trust issues, defensiveness, all that. But it helps, having people like us say what we mean an' then follow through, yeah? More positive examples."

Siamus nods slowly. "All right, aye. Well, I'd much rather be working wi'the lot of ye than have anyone tripping over anyone else." He glances toward the inn. "Are ye set for rooms already? Some of your friends are here, I expect. Some Cobalts, anyway."

"Exactly." Estel snaps her fingers and points at him. "Not yet. Didn't know where we'd be stayin'. I should introduce everybody, yeah?"

"Aye. Gather yours and come along?" Siamus tilts his head affably in the direction of the inn. "Plenty of rooms, the place is brand new and Highbank's not got civilians apart from ours at the moment."

"Will do." Estel grins and gives him a thumbs-up that somehow seems to come with a [Prayer of Shadow Protection]. "Lemme go fetch 'em. See ya soon!"

Estel darts off to find Almeiria and Shun, holding her hat in place.

Siamus watches her for a moment, and then heads for the inn.

Shun is currently perched up in a tree at the designated waiting area.

"Hey," Estel calls up to him. "C'mon down. Went great, we can go meet everybody else now."

Wordlessly, Shun drops down into the dirt below. He nods and waits for Estel to lead the way.

Almeiria, who was watching from nearby, soon joins them. "He didn't look like he withered in despair," she says. She sounds a little disappointed.

Estel laughs. "No, pretty much the opposite. I do have to warn you two, uh, the Farrens sons want a chance to try and save their mom. Solari Farrens. They're hoping she can be rescued, and Fallon thinks your master has some sort of a hold over her. So. We stick to our target. Solari Farrens lives until Fallon or her sons make the call otherwise. Sound fair?"

"Not a problem unless she makes it a problem," Shun replies, "And as long as they stay out of our way so we can do our part of the job."

Almeiria reassesses Shun. "What do you know, something we agree on," she says.

Estel grins and leads the both of them to the inn.

Inside the Inn

Inside the inn, Shine is seated at a table with Lena. He's got a cup of coffee in front of him, and under the table he's stretched a leg out to prop a foot in the opposite chair.

Siamus ambles over, selects precisely that chair, and tugs it away from him.

Shine drops his foot to the floor with a snort, and Siamus grins as he sits down. To Lena, Siamus says, "Your friends are here. Miss Fey and Miss Herald."

Lena looks up curiously at Siamus. "Are they joining us? Or just… also here?"

Siamus leans back slightly to look over his shoulder toward the door. "Joining us, I believe. Well. After a fashion. They have their own goal, but it's aligned with ours."

Shine raises his eyebrow and looks between the other two.

A huge, tawny, wolfish looking feline slinks into the common room from the direction of the sleeping rooms. There is no doubt that this is no wild creature, as it is marked and adorned in the manner of druids and has the easy manner of a house pet, but it is quite large for an indoor setting.

It pads over closer to the table, then sits, tail curling around its legs. Its ears are pricked forward toward the human speakers.

"Oslynn," Siamus greets her with a smile. (He has had a week to learn her name. Again.) "Ye just up? Have ye breakfasted?"

The cat replies amiably. The fangs and general mouth shape add a layer of incomprehensibility on top of the usual accent, but unlike some druids she seems to have no difficulty speaking fluently in animal form.

"Oi went fer a bit of a—" She stops herself, rethinks that sentence. "Yeah, I 'ad Breakfast. Early roizah. Did oi jus' 'ear somefing about new peopwe?"

"That's right. Pair of ladies from Cobalt Company have just arrived. Acquaintances of Miss Coit. And Miss Herald's… partner? I believe she said." Obviously Siamus did not absorb that name. Why must every individual person insist on having a name? A man hasn't got that kind of time; he is operating on four hours of sleep and sixteen cups of tea.

"Miss 'Erald's one o' the new Cobalts?" Oslynn-cat inquires. The tip of her tail thumps lightly on the floor.

"Aye. Personable young lady," Siamus says.

"Estel," says Shine mildly. He has not actually met Estel. He picks up his coffee cup and nods politely to the talking cat.

The cat looks at him, clearly having no context for these two syllables and uncertain of their connection to what Siamus just said. So she just takes him in for a moment, gaze lingering on the missing eye situation, and then turns back toward Siamus.

"She'll want to chat, you fink?" Oslynn-cat says. "Does she know wot druids is? Should I be a lady, or loike…"

Oslynn-cat has never been a lady in her life, so she is probably referring to her human form.

"I'm quite certain Miss Herald — Estel's her name, aye — is familiar with druids. She was trapped under the sea with one for a time. The… bear lass. Flower?" Siamus considers, brow furrowed.

"Florande," says Shine. He reads newsletters.

Siamus points at Shine. "Florande, aye. Miss Herald knows druids. Be what ye like, Oslynn."

"Trapped?" Oslynn-cat echoes stupidly. "Unner the sea?"

She then, either for comic effect or an assumption that it would be more familiar to the incoming newcomer, changes into sea lion form. In the inn.

She's just sitting there, a sort of shapeless flippery coarse-furred blob with hideously long fangs.

Lena laughs. "I expect she saw that one frequently in Vashj'ir, yes. If I recall, Florande was partial to animal forms as well."

Siamus flashes a grin at Oslynn. What a great kid.

Oslynn nods, seeming to think that this is the best possible first impression to make on the newcomers, because she remains in the form and watches the door.

Lena looks at her curiously. "Does your skin ever itch, if you stay in this form out of the water?"

The walrus sea lion gives a sort of shrug, lifting a flipper.

"Ain't stayed in it long enough on land yet ta foind out," she says, her voice both slightly muffled and reverberating deeply in the new enormity of her blubber-encased chest cavity.

Shine clears his throat gently. It is possible he is trying, politely, not to laugh. He reaches over to touch the back of Lena's neck and then gets to his feet. "More coffee," he says. "Anyone else?"

"No' for me, fanks," says the sea lion.

Shine nods courteously to the sea lion.

"I'd like one," Lena says, looking up at him with a smile.

At that point, Aszera, clad in her usual black leather, wanders into the common room. She heads towards the table with familiar people at it, but then stops a few steps away, her brow drawing down. In her own particular way, she might be staring at someone in bewilderment.

"Aszera," Siamus says. "Ye want coffee? Shine's just offered."

Shine gives Siamus a look.

Neither of them says anything about the sea lion.

The sea lion raises a flipper in greeting.

"Coffee, sure," Aze says, her attention still riveted to the waving sea lion. "Who…?"

The sea lion makes a series of rather alarming loud barks that might be a laugh.

"Oslynn," says Shine, because the bulk of his conversation this morning is just saying people's names. He nods to Aze and heads off toward the bar.

"Right," Aszera says, cautiously taking a seat across from Oslynn. "Can you just be like that… indefinitely?"

Lena is trying very hard not to laugh. She cannot keep from smiling.

Siamus laces his hands behind his head and looks on with gleaming amusement.

The New Arrivals

Estel steps inside the inn. "He said there were plenty of rooms to stay in," she says, and holds the door for her two companions.

Shun steps in, taking a moment to canvas the room after entering, seeing who's all around and the like.

Siamus tilts his head back to eye the door at the sound of the arrivals. He smiles that tilted, sardonic smile of his and gets courteously to his feet. "Miss He—Estel. Ye know Miss Coit, and these are Miss Sunstrike and Miss Gravehowl." Yes, he introduces the demented-looking sea lion on the floor by the table as Miss Gravehowl. His casual clothing and wind-tousled appearance — and that oddly knowing smile — are a little at odds with the formal manners.

He surveys Shun. "Admiral Siamus Fallon," he says, and moves forward to offer a handshake.

"Hey, Lena." Estel waves cheerfully to her. She looks at Aze and Ozzy with equal curiosity. "I'm Estel, and this is my partner Shun." She knows the danger of giving Admiral Siamus Fallon a last name. He never stops using them. "And my friend Almeiria Fey."

Almeiria enters after the other two and makes a mild 'ugh' sound at the sea lion creature.

The sea lion creature makes a mild "ugh" sound back.

Shun assesses Siamus briefly before giving him a firm and very brief handshake. Estel had covered the name bit so he just lets out a grunt instead.

"Pleasure to see you again, Miss Fey," says Siamus courteously as he steps back from Shun.

At that moment, a lean, brown-skinned man with a leather eyepatch over his left eye crosses from the kitchen bearing three cups of coffee before him. The liquid in the cups barely even shivers as he moves. He is dressed almost identically to Siamus in rolled sleeves and rough trousers — even down to the bronze anchor pendant around his neck — but his clothes are all dark, shades of ash or charcoal, and his rolled sleeves reveal tattooed hands and forearms.

He nods to the newcomers as he passes, and goes to the table to set coffee before Aze and Lena. With the final cup in hand he moves around the table to the chair beside Lena's. He nods to Estel. To the other two, he says, "Shine."

That's it, that's the speech. He sits.

"Shine," Siamus agrees. That's it, that's the introduction.

"Hey, Estel," Lena says with a smile, as Shine returns with the coffee. Lena is a blonde-haired human woman in a dark blue casual dress, none of her usual warlock gear present at the moment. "I'm not sure if I knew you had a partner? But good to meet you, Shun. And Almeiria, it's been a fair time since we last spoke."

Aze, a blindfolded elvish woman with dark hair and black leather armor, nods to the newcomers with a quick flash of a smile. Something in the three newcomers seems to give her pause for a moment, but then she just reaches for her coffee and has a sip. "Pleased to meet you. Azera works, too. Or Aze, depending on how friendly we are."

"Yes, as friends," Almeiria says to Lena in that too sweet tone. "Hello, Shine dear, staying alive I see?" She ignores Siamus. Wilt, darn you! Her gaze passes over Aze in a scrutinizing way.

Shine raises his eyebrow at the news that he is a 'dear' to Almeiria. Her question doesn't seem to require an answer, as he is clearly alive, so he just nods.

Siamus doesn't wilt. He looks a teensy bit entertained. Siamus, no. Don't, Siamus.

As each of the others speak up, Shun looks to them all and locks in names to faces, among other things. He nods curtly to acknowledge them in turn.

"Hey," Estel says, waving to Shine. "Okay, lemme get us a room an' I'll be right back. Almeiria, you'll want your own, yeah?"

Almeiria pauses, a brief flash of something close to fear freezing on her face for a moment, before she smooths it out again. "Unless anyone else here enjoys excessive candles and dark rituals," she says lightly.

"You wanna share with us?" Estel offers.

Shun vetoes the option:

"…"

"No."

Shine makes a very soft sound that might be a laugh. He doesn't look up from his coffee.

"I'm afraid your partner has the right of it," Almeiria says. "I couldn't ask it, Estel, dear, not after you've been apart for so long."

Estel smiles wryly. "Okay. I'll get us rooms next to each other, and you can, like, bang on the wall if anyone tries to kill you." She seems to be taking that possibility seriously.

"I'm in a room with Emerine, too," Aze offers. "If you want roommates."

"I suppose if you don't mind the potential for shadowy men appearing while you sleep," Almeiria says.

All this time, a sea lion has just been sitting near the table, watching the entire conversation and not saying a word. Which of course, one would not expect a sea lion to do. But one would also not expect a sea lion to be sitting in the common room of an inn.

"Right, invitation rescinded," Aze says smoothly. "Unless you actually need people on hand to assist in killing shadowy men. That's a different situation."

All trace of gleaming humor has vanished from Siamus's expression and he is watching Almeiria, his black gaze intent and serious.

"I think that's the idea, yeah," Estel says. She looks genuinely serious about this as well.

"In that case, I bet Emerine won't mind," Aze says with a shrug. "She has alarms rigged up for us already."

Siamus tips his head at Aze in a subtle nod of approval. She probably can't see it. His gaze stays with Almeiria.

"That's settled, then," Almeiria says. "I do rather hope he does not know I'm coming, but I'm afraid that's a touch optimistic, and therefore, useless."

"What won't I mind?" a green-haired kaldorei woman dressed in dark leathers asks, stepping out of the stairwell. It's unlikely many people heard Emerine come downstairs.

The sea lion turns its head to regard the new arrival.

Shine glances up, smiling faintly.

"Nightvine!" Siamus greets her. "Ye joining us?"

"Hey," Aze doesn't turn towards her, but says, "Assassin — or assassins — after Almeiria here. I offered for her to join our room for safety. Is this shadow man likely to do his own work or send a team?"

"Hey, Emerine," Estel says lazily, and moves to the counter to go rent a room for herself and Shun..

Emerine smiles faintly back. "Shall I? I see we've new arrivals. Hey, Estel." She passes by the sea lion-adjacent druid and pets Ozzy on the head once. "I suppose Aszera and I do have a spare bed in our room. And I might get to kill some assassins? That's practically a bonus." She raises a brow. Her eyebrows are a little shorter than most elves' eyebrows tend to be.

"If this is that one guy we're talking about, and he's the sort to get his hands dirty…" Aze shrugs. "There's a chance of taking out a problem early. Think he might underestimate us?"

"I believe it is that one… 'guy,'" Siamus agrees. You can hear the scare quotes around the word. "They've come up here for him. Which ties in neatly with ours."

"I have not known him to work in a team, but we are now close to a stronghold of theirs," Almeiria says. "I'm sure I wasn't his only student."

The sea lion is watching Emerine now.

"Just the one who got away," Aze nods. "We'll have to be ready for both possibilities. And you're not… sentimental about it, or are you? Your teacher comes, do you want to kill him yourself, or is it fine for Emerine or I to go for it if we see an opening?"

"Sentimentality has no place in a battle of this nature," Almeiria says. "I am simply here to ensure the job gets done. He must not escape."

Siamus nods once and looks to Aze and Emerine. He looks at Almeiria again. "I gave my word to Amerith that I'd see the man dead while we handled our business. Anyone who wants him is welcome to take him out of our way, so long as I can tell Amerith it's done."

The sea lion has begun very subtly scooting away from the table, half inch by half inch, with little pauses in between. It is not designed well for movement on land, much less subtle movement, but it's trying its best.

Shun has since found a nearby wall to lean against as he listens to the others discuss.

"He will be dead by the end of this," he affirms, "One way or another."

Siamus nods again. "Aye, so there we are. An accord. We need to get our target away from him, and that would be a fair thorough way to do it."

Shine has settled back in his chair with his coffee, his other arm slung across the back of Lena's chair. He is watching the sea lion's efforts at subtlety with what looks like polite interest.

Aze twitches slightly in the direction of the sea lion and says very quietly, "Are you… stuck like that?"

The sea lion says back to her even more quietly, "No' exac'ly… jus'… 'ard to find the right moment to-" She gives a subtle gesture toward the Extremely Serious Discussion going on.

"Hm?" Aze says, and then, "Oh, well, you're part of the plan. But probably no one's coming after you and Merelda and Miss Curran, so you don't need to worry about that."

"Roight, roight," Ozzy whispers. "But… well as distractin' as a sea lion is, seein' a sea lion turn into somefing else is even more distractin', so I'm just…"

She waves a flipper very slightly, awkwardly, and then goes still again, trying to be a stealth sea lion. There is no such thing.

Emerine approaches Shun. "Emerine Nightvine," she says, studying him with a critical look.

Shun returns a steady but sharp gaze to Emerine.

"Shun."

Emerine nods to him and leaves him be. She fetches another room key from the innkeeper for Almeiria. "I've got bells on the door," Emerine says, offering it out. "And don't open the window, mmn?"

Estel returns to the group, approaching Siamus's table. "How many folks you got here?" she asks.

"Ten fighters. Four civilians." Siamus gestures at the table. "Ye can have a seat, any of ye."

"Civilians," Almeiria repeats, finding a seat. "That reporter being one of them?"

Shun raises a brow, "Who are the non-combatants?"

Estel sits down next to Almeiria.

Siamus nods to Almeiria. "His mother's the lady in question, so aye. He's here." He glances at Shun. "And three druids to look after the afflicted guard. Miss Gravehowl being one of them."

He inclines his head courteously to Miss Gravehowl. Miss Gravehowl is, again, the sea lion.

"I'm not sure which is more distracting," Aze says, and then cuts off as Ozzy is addressed.

"Afflicted guard?" Estel asks. So maybe she wasn't told everything after all.

The sea lion, having been addressed, seems to feel it's okay to participate in the conversation she has been keenly listening to. Her contribution is to say,

"Wait - I'm no' a figh'er?"

And then turn into a bear, and say,

"I'm no'?"

Someone across the room at another table screams.

A dark haired staff member busies himself bussing tables. He moves to calm the screaming person.

Shun whips around. Knife immediately in hand.

Oslynn sheepishly (FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING) melts back into her human form. "Just sayin'…" she mutters.

Siamus raises his eyebrows. Oh no is he going to have to get the red string out again? "A member of the Stormwind Guard whose mother's fallen in wi'the Twilight. She left a… curse of some kind on the man when he was a child, and of late it's begun — " He pauses and waits a moment for the pandemonium, then raises his voice. It is suddenly very much an Officer Voice. "There's no call for that."

This is directed, actually, at the screaming patron rather than any of his own party.

"Whoa," Aze says. Just that. She has not spent much time around druids.

Lena has lost the fight to not laugh, but she's being quiet about it.

"Sorry!" Ozzy yells. "Just a druid!"

Estel laughs. She is not that quiet about it. She clears her throat and focuses back in on Siamus. "Sorry, go on."

"Oi'll um…" Ozzy makes a little wincy-face and jerks her thumb toward the sleeping rooms.

Siamus turns away from eyeing the panicked patron direly and smiles at Oslynn apologetically. "Aye, if ye like, Oslynn. We'll speak later."

The barefoot apparently human girl tiptoes her way toward her room, as though there is any chance left for subtlety.

"…" Shun just sighs and relaxes. A touch. He puts his weapon back away and folds his arms over his chest.

Almeiria watches the inn staff member chatting with the formerly panicked patron, then turns back to the group. "Panicking over a bear. With this many soldiers around." She shakes her head.

Siamus makes a slightly impatient open-handed gesture at Almeiria. This lady gets it. Geez.

To Estel, he says, "This woman left a curse on her son, and then vanished and fell in at some point with the Twilights. Mr. Dinnsfield — the guard in question — had an… encounter with the scar-faced man last winter, and recently the curse's effect has begun to drain him near to death. We suspect the scarred man is behind it. We know that he seems to have some measure of control over Mrs. Farrens.

"We've come up here to find Mrs. Farrens and attempt to get her away from the cult, see whether she can undo the curse. Barring that, we will put her to rest, as it's the one sure method we know of for removing the thing. But in either case, eliminating the scarred man is likely to be a necessary step in our task."

Shine is watching Shun sidelong as he drinks coffee.

"And all that is secret," Aze clarifies, in case other people here struggle with privacy. "And we're not killing the woman unless Siamus says so."

"If she is controlled," Lena says, taking a sip of her coffee as she gathers her thoughts. "Would we know how to break it? Is that something our priestesses can do?" She looks at Estel and Almeiria.

Shun senses eyes an eye on him and catches Shine's gaze. He quietly stares back briefly before looking to the others.

(It was just the one eye.)

"I won't know until I assess the situation myself," Almeiria says. "Something we may be able to… expedite, if I have a look at our cursed man." The curve of her smile betrays a not entirely wholesome interest.

"That will be up to the man himself," says Siamus, bowing his head cordially to Almeiria. "I'm certain it would be in his interests, naturally" — just the slightest pause there — "and am happy to ask him." He glances in the direction the barefoot sea lion lass went.

Ozzy is actually kind of lurking in human form at a distance, still listening, but attempting not to be seen. She's not very good at that, at least in human form. Anyone looking for her could spot her. She's in like, half cover somewhere.

Siamus steps away from the table. "Oslynn?" he calls. "Can ye give a hand a moment?"

Oslynn jumps a little, banging her head lightly on something, then scrambles to obey the Admiral.

"Yessir," she says, giving him her most serious and calm face. She is a human now, a normal human in a dress, not a bear. Though her feet are. Bare, I mean.

Siamus smiles down at her. "Can ye go up to Dinnsfield's room and let him and Miss Kensington-Whit know that another Cobalt has arrived with Miss Fey, and Miss Fey would like a word with Dinnsfield at some point? She may have pertinent information."

Can you remember that, Ozzy? Siamus believes in you.

"Yessir," says Oslynn very seriously, and scurries to deliver the message.

Shine turns his coffee cup on the table between his palms. "Two days from now," he says, apropos of nothing, "I'll have the lie of the land."

Siamus returns to his place standing beside the table, folding his arms. "Maps?"

Shine nods. He traces something idly with a finger on the tabletop. "Maps," he says.

Siamus flicks a sharp look at the gesture, watches it a moment, then lifts his gaze again to nod at Shine.

Lena glances to the gesture at the tabletop, but says nothing about it for now.

Shine picks up his coffee cup and settles back comfortably in his chair again.

"I do love maps," says Emerine, who is nearby but still standing.

Shine tilts his head to look up at Emerine. It is unclear whether he blinks or winks at her (because just the one eye), but the slight tilt of his smile suggests it might be the latter. He's gotchu.

Emerine smiles approvingly back.

"Anywhere I can be helpful?" Lena asks. "Aside from being on call for summons."

"We may need ye to summon Shine out of there in two days," Siamus says dryly.

Shine lowers his coffee cup and says, "Tch," disapprovingly.

"It's a worthwhile precaution, dear," Almeiria says. "The Twilights are not having tea up there."

"What, they prefer coffee?" Aze says lightly, taking a sip of hers.

Off to the side, Shun just slowly tilts his head.

Shine nods affably to Almeiria. "Doesn't need to worry the lady. Been hunting Twilights for months."

"Which lady?" Estel asks, looking around the table.

Shine taps the back of Lena's chair wordlessly.

Estel gives him a thumbs-up.

Almeiria glances suspiciously between Shine and Lena. When did that happen?

Shine's not telling. But when is he ever?

"It's not like I haven't known you were in danger for months now," Lena says, raising an eyebrow. "Comes with the work, I know that."

Shine flashes her a smile and raises his coffee cup to her. Cheers.

Almeiria narrows her eyes. Ugh, romance. "If you need help getting rid of him when he stops being useful, Lena, dear, let me know," she says.

"Don't see as how that'd ever happen," Lena says, with a quick glance and a smile to Shine. "Does make a girl wish she'd met you years ago, though."

Shine smiles back at Lena. He lifts a hand to slip her hair behind her ear, and then returns to drinking his coffee.

Siamus smiles benevolently at the pair. This is his doing. He did this.

Estel glances at Almeiria, then at the table. She relaxes slightly when nobody seems insulted. Maybe she's used to people showing affection in strange ways.

"Do you want me to help scoping things out?" Aze asks, setting down her coffee for a moment. "I'm not great with maps, but I'm pretty good at finding hidden things, in case they have… secret passages or ambushes or anything."

Shun grunts, as if to say, 'him too.'

Shine sets his cup on the table again. "I'm going in with Blue Squad. I'll draw the maps after, and we can go over 'em for likely problem spots, divide the place in quadrants or so and scout it again deeper." He nods to Aze and then gestures to Shun and Emerine.

"Delightful," Emerine says.

"Sure," Aze says with a flash of a smile. "Just tell me when and where."

"What's this, a war council?" Lathrik asks, ambling into the room. His gaze catches on Shun, Almeiria, and Estel.

Behind Lathrik, dressed in civilian clothes (because she is actually a civilian) of a black vest that shows her midriff and dark jeans knotted at her left knee, is Natalyah, floating a foot off the floor. Her attention latches onto Almeiria, as she reaches out a hand for Lathrik's shoulder to hold onto him, possibly proactively for defense, or perhaps to just anchor herself in her floating drift. She takes in the general mood of the room. Seems…fine?

"Oslynn said that Miss Fey was here, and wanted a word," Natalyah tells the room.

Aze raises a hand to give a little wave to the pair.

Lena, settled in next to Shine, looks over as she takes another sip of coffee. Her gaze catches curiously on Natalyah.

Siamus turns to the pair. "Aye, that's right. Dinnsfield, Miss Kensington-Whit, good morning. Ye know Miss Fey already. This is Miss Herald from Cobalt Company, and her partner." He does not know what to call that guy. "They have a goal aligns neatly with ours, and I believe we're all best served by joining forces."

"Hi, I'm Estel," Estel says cheerfully.

As the two newcomers appear, Shun takes a moment to size them both up. His gaze flicks to Siamus briefly, noting he wasn't mentioned by name. "Our target is the asshole who might be traveling with your target."

"Shun," says Shine to no one in particular. He's back to just naming people now.

Our… target," Lathrik says, a lazy smile flashing onto his face. "Aye? Well. Good t'hear we're on the same side." His eyes settle on Almeiria in particular.

"And when haven't we been, Lathrik, dear?" Almeiria asks, her return smile far too sweet.

Siamus's expression remains mild, smiling, but there is a sharper, watchful attention in his manner now, like he suspects he may need to Intervene in a moment.

Natalyah bristles at the term of endearment, a rumble of a growl that doesn't fit at all in a human throat. She visibly pushes it down, her grip on Lathrik going tighter for a moment, before she floats over and sticks out her right hand for a handshake to Almeiria with the sort of attitude as if Almeiria had dared Natalyah not to do it.

"When we didn't know each other or realize we have common goals, whereas now we know we do, and we don't have to be enemies in a collaborative effort with information," Natalyah says in tart noblewoman's tone, a defiant tilt to her chin. "But we have encountered each other before under other circumstances. Natalyah Kensington-Whit, published lepidopterist, Lathrik's girlfriend, cursed worgen, and the person you saw in the shadows of the eyes of Ilanya Ravendusk that day when she came back from a visit to the city." Okay, she's just…putting that information out there. Sorry, Lathrik. You know the butterfly girl and her secret information about herself when sharing could matter.

Aze looks like she might want popcorn.

Lena too, honestly.

Siamus folds his arms again, smiling That Smile. This is going great. He'll pay for the popcorn.

Shun raises his brow. Well then.

"So, you admit to spying?" Almeiria says, her smile sweetening even further, her voice now dripping with honey venom. "Awfully brave of you to cast your gaze where you did. If you hadn't fled the moment you saw me, I might have done some damage to you."

Lathrik's smile disappears, replaced by a sharp, intense stare. He reaches for a mana potion.

"Do you actually want allies?" Aze says, barely above a whisper.

Shun grows a touch tense, just seeing Lathrik reaching for something while looking less than pleased.

"Right," says Siamus. It's Officer Voice Time again. "No harm done on either side, nor will there be." He has shifted just slightly to interpose himself between where Lathrik stands and Almeiria sits.

Shine gets to his feet. "Coffee? Dinnsfield? Miss Kensington-Whit?"

"Really? And we might hypothesize that there might have been any number of outcomes from that, none of which actually happened, and we will just waste our time speculating," Natalyah says, still holding out her hand, undaunted. "Would you have rather I lied about it? Concealed it from you, so that you were always wondering if it was, or what my motives might be or had been? I was concerned for Lathrik and unsure of your Count's allegiances. Now, we both want the same thing, presumably. I will be honest and upfront with you in what I know and can do about your assassin shadow man, Miss Fey, and hope you will do me the courtesy of the same."

"Yes, coffee will be agreeable," Natalyah says to Shine, in the distracted used-to-being served tone of a noblewoman.

Shine is used to being addressed that way by noblewomen, and nods genially. He looks at Shun and then Estel and raises his coffee cup in a silent question.

"No thanks," Estel says. She's already had breakfast.

Coffee is its own distinct meal, Estel.

"Typical that you choose the honest approach when it suits you," Almeiria says, but she does shake Natalyah's hand. "Speculating aside, I'm merely warning you that if it happens again, you will not enjoy the results. That, too, is honest and upfront."

"I appreciate your honesty," Natalyah says. There are calluses on her hands, roughened in telltale ways that tell a story of someone who does her own cleaning and laundry, and habitually uses canes as a mobility device. She floats ominously back towards Lathrik. "And I should say, I always prefer the honest approach whenever possible, but when someone begins with suspicious behavior to start, it warrants caution. Count Amerith started that gambit when he had Ilanya following Lathrik around, and I cannot meet the Count at his level of power, so I did what I could. And I don't love honesty more than I love Lathrik." Do with that information what you will Almeiria.

Natalyah finally takes her eyes off Almeiria to look at Estel and Shun. "How do you figure into this?"

"We are here to kill the mysterious Shadow Man. Hired blades, if you will," he replies. He hasn't relaxed again yet. "The woman you are seeking will not be touched."

Siamus nods at that guy Shun.

"Unless we get the word, as agreed," Aze adds helpfully. "We did tell them that."

Estel gestures to herself. "I'm Almeiria's friend," she says. "I heal some people, I harm other people. I'm an alchemist with Cobalt Company. Shun is my partner. We're here to coordinate." She grins at Natalyah. "What's a lepicopterist?"

"Lepidopterist," Natalyah corrects immediately, although not harshly. "It's the biological field of the study of butterflies and moths. Butterflies are my specialty, and I try not to bring up moths around Lathrik ever since the Great Bagworm Moth Incident." Although, she kind of just did.

"As a worgen, I am capable of harm when necessary, but I'm a healer as well. New at it, relatively, as a Scientist of the Light. I know only a small amount of shadow, and from many years ago. My specialty in that has been the use of the poorly named 'Mind Vision' spell. I can maintain it for as long as I can stay conscious, and I can look through the eyes of both animals and people," Natalyah says.

Aze's lips quirk at Scientist of the Light, but she says, "Now that sounds really useful. The vision thing."

"Oh, that's awesome," Estel says. "Lepidopterist," she repeats to herself, as if trying to get the word fixed in her brain. "Lepidopterist. Okay. I was trained in both Light and Shadow as a kid."

Shun raises a brow for a moment before adding, "No light here. Only shadow."

"Only the fel, for me," Lena says, with a slight shrug. "And that goes for Aszera as well, if she's not saying."

Aze gestures at Lena in vague agreement.

Shine, returning with — this time — an entire pot of coffee and a stack of cups, makes another brief survey of Shun as he passes.

He sets the cups on the table, pours one, and offers it to Natalyah.

"I'm familiar with Aszera, she's a friend," Natalyah says, a touch defensively as if the remark was directed at her, personally (it was not). "We worked together destroying a guard threatening group of murlocs in Elwynn. She's a good a person, and that matters more than what she uses to do it. And from what I know, that's the same for you." Okay that's definitely defensive, but also weirdly of Lena included.

Natalyah takes the coffee automatically, and then there's a moment where old habits meet new ones as she blinks and deliberately looks at Shine. "Oh. Thank you. That's kind of you." She glances at the black. All she would have to do to make it delicious is ask for some milk and sugar. With this impossible task before her, she doggedly sips at it as is.

Shine misses nothing. "Be right back," he tells Natalyah. His tone implies he just left Step Two behind and naturally has to collect it now; it was always part of the plan.

He heads for the kitchen again.

"How are you feeling, Dinnsfield?" Emerine asks, looking Lathrik over.

Lathrik, his expression having melted into a grimace at the mention of bagworm moths, straightens as the question is directed at him. "Fine," he says automatically. "I'm fine. I… Ye know what we're all doing here." He waves a hand vaguely, then drains a mana potion. Now he just looks grouchy.

Shine returns to set milk and a dish of sugar cubes on the table. He returns to his seat.

"Fey wanted to have a look at you," Emerine says to Lathrik. "To assess the situation, she said."

Natalyah scoffs, shooting a pointed look at Lathrik, and then looking at the others. "Just know that his definition of 'fine' means that he's not actively being stabbed at this very moment." She aggressively adds in three sugar cubes into the coffee, each one plonking with enough force to spill some coffee on the table. Even as she reaches for a dark cloth from a back pocket (one, it might be noted by some, with even darker stains that suggest blood that never washed fully out), wiping it up herself, she Sings.

The first day, she sang the hymns of the Church, perhaps out of caution for strength. The second day she sang her favorites, a little piece each time. Now, a full week in, she picks one song for the day and doggedly makes her way through it. Today's choice is a Sea Shanty that she sang to Lathrik on Pirate's Day. One strange 8 second verse of it.

"Love, don't you leave me alone,
Say you'll be waiting when we take the cove,
If we make good time on the tides,
Say you'll lay with me in starlight tonight,
Let the mainsail be full and the fair breezes blow,
Let's pray every pull finds us closer to home," Natalyah sings. She has a decent voice. Nothing to write home about, but she hits the notes the pleasantly enough. It's the magic users who can feel the power in it, a strong will forcing mana to rise.

Shun just stares for a few moments, then glances to the others as Natalyah begins to sing. A small glint of confusion could be seen in his eyes. He doesn't seem to know what to make of this. Is this normal?

Estel's eyes go wide. She seems to sense the flow of magic, and she looks astonished. "Holy shit, you can change the lyrics? You can just sing whatever you want and it still works? Amazing. I never thought to even try."

Siamus turns his startled attention on Natalyah when she begins to sing. Shine lifts his head to regard her.

As the invisible tide of mana rises, Shine continues to look on politely, wearing a faint smile, but… Siamus? gives a second slight, startled twitch. He looks around at the others and then back to Natalyah.

Aze shivers at the flow of magic and turns slightly toward Natalyah.

Shun unfortunately has the magic sense of a brick so he completely misses what's going on in the background there. He's just a little dumbfounded.

After Natalyah's done, she puts her rag away, and adds milk to her coffee. "I've been experimenting with it. It only seems to work as long as I can access a feeling of hope in it. If I sing just any old song, or something depressing or whatever, it doesn't work. It's intent, belief, and focus more than the words being inherently magical. Likely some priest found the original hymn to be especially hopeful, and so it was considered a success, and no need to improve on it." She gives a distinct sniff at what she thinks about that potential reasoning.

"I know that one," Lena says, her face lightening with a smile. "I've not heard it sung with quite that… you know, affecting power."

Siamus turns an ironic, arched brow look on Lena, smiling. How very dare. Lena has heard that song in action before, whether she knew it or not.

(Lena is not an elemental. She did not.)

Shine is also looking at Lena, wearing his own faint smile.

"Of course you can change the lyrics, Estel, dear," Almeiria says. Since, apparently, we are singing now, Almeiria takes a breath and… what comes out is not so much a voice as it is a collection of discordant inhuman sounds, gathered into something like a song, maybe, if you're an Old God. Yes, her song is in Shath'Yar, and evokes a hair raising feeling of creatures clawing just beyond the senses. It, too, however, is filled with magic, further bolstering the mana regeneration of those present.

Someone else in the inn at one of the tables gets up and leaves abruptly as Almeiria begins singing, hands over their ears, looking seriously freaked out.

Lathrik stiffens at her rendition. "What hope's in that?" he asks.

"The hope for the world to end?" Almeiria shrugs. "All beings have access to hope, much as the Void likes to claim otherwise."

Aze stiffens and pulls back from the table a little, her shoulders rising like a tingle is going up her spine. "Yeah, okay, that one reminds me of the bottom of the sea. Or Northrend. Hopeful places. If you're hoping for violence."

Like Aze, Shine draws back from the table slightly when Almeiria begins to sing. His expression is wary.

Siamus watches Almeiria neutrally, his brows drawn together. His shoulders and jaw have tensed but he doesn't move, just watches her with his black-eyed gaze.

Natalyah's hair literally rises around her, floating in the air eerily like dark smoke. For a moment, black fur flickers around her hands, and her eyes seem pure gold, and a blink, and neither is there. Her eyes are the usual velvet brown, her firm human. She considers that in the way of someone evaluating a hypothesis, as if to focus on it purposely.

"That's an interesting way of putting it, but Miss Fey is not wrong. As Aszera points out, 'Hope' can be relative, as in to hope for something terrible," Natalyah agrees. She drinks her coffee and only a few might notice the slightest shake to her hand, and the sweat on her brow.

Siamus's attention is on Natalyah again. Half under his breath, he sings,

We're in a hurry, boys
We've got a long way to go

and then flashes a slanted, conspiratorial smile and tips her a nod of acknowledgement.

He shifts his attention back to Almeiria. "I wouldn't have thought," he says, "that the hope of destruction could be restorative." It isn't a challenge; his tone is just sort of, Huh. Really?

The room smells faintly of rain. There is a window open; perhaps there's weather coming.

One by one, Shun looks between the others to gauge various reactions. Though, he lets out a heavy sigh as Siamus and Almeiria join in/sing their own thing respectively. The latter seems to have scared off yet another patron.

"I do hope being inconspicuous is not required here," he utters as he closes his eyes and rubs the bridge of his nose.

Shine tilts his head and smiles a faint, ironic smile up at Shun. "Fallon's never been inconspicuous in his life," he observes dryly.

Natalyah's smile at Siamus is even more conspiratorial, as if she has a secret and just might tell him. Then she sniffs, delicately enough that it could be she's just sniffing her coffee, but she looks out the window, as if expecting rain. She's floating in the air, and can spontaneously turn into a giant worgen, Shun. There's only so much inconspicuous she can do here in the inn, okay.

Even though the question isn't really addressed to Natalyah, she says, "From what I've been studying of it and researching on it, there may even be times when someone not hoping for the end of the world might hope for destruction. 'Please give us more mana so we can destroy this evil elemental or whatever,' could come from a place of hoping to destroy it, and hopeful to achieve the desired world afterwards.

"The Twilight cultists taking it an entire leap further, to hope for destruction for its own sake, that's the intent, and I would expect it ordinarily to be weaker for the wrong focus as well, to try to 'focus' a Light based Hymn through a 'focus' of Void.

"But, as a matter of fact, my research would posit that a lot of the cult in general make up for the weaker 'intent' and 'focus' corners of the triangle with an absurdly strong 'belief' in their fanaticism, and ignoring all of their contradictory behavior of survival while worshipping destruction. That being said, I've never heard of anyone who could sing the 'Hymn of Hope' while in the surprisingly apt, if simple, named 'Shadowform." Natalyah looks over her coffee at Almeiria, waiting for more or new data. Her hair floats down back to her shoulders finally.

Siamus folds his arms. He's distracted now. He heard the word 'research.' He's going to ask to see Natalyah's whiteboard next.

Aze settles back down at the table, a little soothed by all the words of explanation that are not accompanied by any demonstration. Excellent.

The busboy continues to circulate in the background, reassuring customers and cleaning the tables of any who may have abandoned their seating during the Void cacophony.

"If it is possible at all in Shadowform, it would take someone with a tremendous focus and mastery," Almeiria agrees. "I have not personally seen anyone do it, myself. There may be a way that has simply not been discovered yet —" She abruptly stops talking as a large shirtless man, lacking some hair on the very top of his head, yet possessed of enough elsewhere that it falls in brown and grey waves around his shoulders, wanders into the room.

Fray Farrens strides immediately over to the three newcomers and offers a hand. He is learning Manners. "Fray," he says.

Lathrik does not ask what his father is doing without a shirt on. This is probably normal by now.

Estel shakes Fray's hand firmly. "Estel! Hello. This is Shun, and this is Almeiria."

Shun lets Estel do the hand shake as he just lets out a grunt of greeting instead.

Siamus also does not ask what Fray is doing without his shirt on, but probably for different reasons than Lathrik's.

Aze shifts her attention to the new guy, with a kind of measuring air to the focus.

Lena looks over at Fray curiously and sets her expression as a polite smile.

"Fray," Shine says, since they are old buddies. "Lena Coit. My fiancee."

Fray nods to Shun, then to Almeiria, who just stares at him, then he turns to Lena. "Ah, the lad's fiancée. Congratulations." He offers a hand to Lena.

Lena reaches out to take his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Farrens. Glad to see you're well."

Natalyah also doesn't ask what Fray is doing without a shirt on, but she does give the rune on his shoulder another hard stare, a storm of a frown on her face like she can potentially glare it into surrendering its secrets and mechanisms with enough intent. Wait, hold on, there's another measurement potential.

"What does Fray look like to you, Aszera?" Natalyah asks her directly. "In comparison with Lathrik, in particular. Similarities? Differences?"

More science! Siamus turns his focus to Aze as well.

Aze's focus is still entirely on Fray, but she answers Natalyah. "The power is similar, but… the shape…" she raises one hand, making a gesture that might be a bridge. "It's less inside him, and seems connected… somewhere else. I don't know to where or what."

"That's the connection to the caster, and why Fray is invaluable. He knows where Solari is," Natalyah explains, offering Fray a brief smile, and then turning her attention to Aze. "So, you only see one external source, then. Is Lathrik's one source, but more severe, or two external connections?"

At that, Aze refocuses on Lathrik's, her brow drawing down. "Now that I have the both of them in comparison, maybe… two? I mean, it's definitely more severe, and uh… a lot worse than it was back on murloc day. I don't think the two sources are…" she considers her words, "…working together. One seems to be winning. That one seems darker to me, but… I mean, its all void, right?"

"That tracks," Siamus says. "Wouldn't ye say?" He looks between Lathrik and Natalyah.

"It's what we'd guessed," Lathrik says, nodding.

"I can sense his magic from here," Almeiria says. "In theory I could try to undo whatever it is he's done, but that would attract his attention, and I assume we don't want to make a battlefield of Lathrik's mind and body. Confronting him physically, while having the ability to combat him on a more psychic level will be the better move. Even he will struggle to war on two fronts."

Estel nods in approval.

Even the mention of Lathrik's mind and body as a battlefield causes a strange shimmer of Light around him, a half formed Shield that doesn't manifest as Natalyah nods tightly with a tremble of her lips, and a faint flickering of black fur on her hands.

"So, you can't undo it until then." A little hope dies quietly in the lepidopterist, but a larger one persists. "Do you think he could do it to Fray if he caught sight of him or something? Could you stop it from happening if the Shadowman tried to do it? And can you tell at all without alerting the Shadowman where he is through the two…lines from Lathrik, when we might be able to know if Solari and the Shadowman aren't together where we might get a message to her?" Natalyah asks.

Almeiria's own expression contains a flicker of mild annoyance. That is a lot of questions, and she's not even being paid for this. "He could absolutely alter Fray's mark if he discovers it, yes, I can interfere if he makes such an attempt while I am present, and if your goal is to contact Solari, it would be better to do so through the connection that has not been tampered with." She gestures to Fray's curse. "Her work as well, is it not?"

Fray's assessing gaze falls to Almeiria. "You look like her," he says.

Lathrik, too, focuses on Almeiria, his brow knit.

Natalyah, meanwhile, points a finger at Fray. "That means you're on Shirt On At All Times duty. Hopefully, if any Shadow spies tries to look at us through someone, Miss Fey will catch it, because I can't always tell if they're subtle enough, but she can't be around you all the time. Aszera might be able to catch a Twilight cultist in disguise sneaking up on us, but same problem."

"Maybe," Aze says. "But I wouldn't count on it. They could use someone not void-touched to spy, or find some way to hide it." Aze drums her fingers on the table and adds, "I could also try to rip the thing out of you, but my methods are… probably too violent to be healthy."

Lena raises an eyebrow. "Same reason I've not offered my felhunter, then."

"I would rather we not do anything to either of these two gentleman that can be described as 'ripping,'" Siamus says dryly. "A last resort, perhaps. Pocket it for now."

"Pocketed," Aze nods agreeably. "And I'll watch for more void, as I can."

Fray looks down at his own bare chest, as if noticing he is shirtless for the first time. "Ah," he says. He is already breaking the Shirt On At All Times, rule. Without a word to excuse himself, he abruptly leaves the room.

Almeiria, just as silently, rises from her seat at the table and attempts to slip after him.

"I can get the scents of everyone on our side and people we're around, so I'd know if someone was in disguise trying to infiltrate us even with a duplicating potion, but I can't smell insane cultist off a person, more's the pity," Natalyah says as she watches Almeiria warily.

Shine, meanwhile, watches Natalyah inscrutably.

Aze shifts in her seat, but doesn't rise. She just waits to see if anyone will be indicated to go after them.

"Okay," Estel says. "Do you need to sniff our clothes or something or can you get 'em from where you're at?"

Lathrik also notes Almeiria leaving, but doesn't make any moves to stop her. "I can see her face," he notes, sounding vaguely puzzled. "Just Fray's, Peril's, and hers."

Shun looks up at that. "Is there something wrong with your vision?"

"Your father, your brother… and her?" Siamus asks, his brows knit.

Natalyah's Scientist Senses tingle with new data, as she double looks back at Almeiria following Fray out. "That can't be a coincidence. You can't even see your own face, so it's unlikely it's because of Miss Fey's connection to the Shadowman, although we can't rule it out. Peril doesn't have a rune, so it can't be that. Which means there's a third connecting point between all three of them, or there are three separate reasons why their faces aren't affected. Lathrik can't see people's faces. We're black voids," she adds for Shun's benefit.

Natalyah drinks the rest of her coffee, and sets it down on the table, holding out a hand palm up to Estel. "Your clothes can work, but the best is if I can get a good sniff of you. I can pick up just about everyone's general scent this close but it's nowhere near as effective for catching the subtle scents. A strong perfume like Aszera's and Lena's — which is the same perfume, by the way — can be mimicked, but their scents under it can't."

Shine drinks his coffee and contemplates the prospect of this floating, singing scientist getting good sniffs of people.

Aszera twitches in surprise, and says, "Well, you probably know my scent already, from last time. If there's anything in there besides demon these days."

"You can sniff me later, if you like," says Lena with a shrug. She does not seem surprised. "Maybe after a bath, so the perfume's gone?"

"Gotcha," Estel says, and puts her hand in Natalyah's to be sniffed.

Natalyah shakes her head. "After a bath won't make much of a difference, since most soaps and shampoos have perfumes as well. It doesn't change much. I can still smell you under it, no matter what it is covering it," she says. "And I don't ever forget a scent."

Between one blink and the next, as she leans closer to Estel, she is an entire foot taller, silken black furred worgen, and she sniffs Estel's hand now with a wolf-like muzzle.

Shun is watching this exchange. Very carefully.

There's a clatter as someone eating breakfast at another table drops their fork.

The busboy circles around to pick up the fork and offer another. He is on top of his game.

Estel holds still. She was kind of expecting something like that. She just lets herself be sniffed and then gives Natalyah a thumbs-up.

Natalyah leans back — an iridescent shimmer, a blink — and human once more. She looks shocked. "You… you make Lathrik's mana potions sometimes. You're an alchemist with Niris Ference, at that clinic. I've smelled you there before, and on some of the bottles."

"Yeah!" Estel grins. "I do! You weren't kidding. That's awesome."

Lena slightly startles at the sudden change to worgen, but quickly recovers composure.

Aze laughs. "It's almost like fortune-telling, but specific true things, right?"

Shun relaxes again. He just leans back against the wall, remaining silent for the time being.

"Shun, let the scientist smell you too, yeah?" Estel suggests.

There's a low grumble as he unfolds his arms to extend a hand begrudgingly. While the mask obscures half his face, he still doesn't seem particularly thrilled by this.

Natalyah's expression is war between wariness and confidence bordering on hubris as if Shun has dared her to try, and she's now triple dog daring him back. She doesn't reach out her own hand to him as she did for Estel, but there is again that flash transformation into her worgen form, several deliberate sniffs, and once more — human.

This time there is really no mistaking the sweat beading on her brow, and the panting of her breath as if she sprinted at full speed and then stopped, after the rapid shifting back and forth.

"Well, I can see I'm not the only who travels by rooftop on occasion here," Natalyah says archly, tossing her hair defiantly, which leaves it floating around her face, sticking to her cheeks. "If you want a rooftop spot for brooding darkly, you might have to arrange a system with Fray for whatever building he's nesting on. Although I don't know, maybe you'll make friends up there, and exchange trail mix snacks."

Shine's gaze flicks between Shun and the floating, singing, werewolf scientist fortuneteller with interest.

Shun scoffs lightly as he folds his arms back over his chest. His eyes narrow at her assessment, though he flicks a gaze over in Fray's direction when he's brought up.

"Those snacks are not just for anyone."

"Awwww," Estel says. The snacks might be for her.