The Silver Stars of the Eclipsing Moon

[Maryring]

"Yes... you may be right." Mia says, also eager to put the incident behind. "So that means... somehow that "eye" has to "see the light". But what light? I don't think just shining a light on the "eye" will have much effect."

[The Great Skenardo]

Bronsk
"Well, it must be opened first. Varek, the cup smells of honey? Try pouring it on the coin, maybe?"

[Lycar]

Varek tilts his head at Bronsk "Okay.. so.. you, like, found a poem, which is also a riddle ? So how does it go ? "

Also Varek tries to get to look into the mirror again.

Lycar

[The Great Skenardo]

Bronsk
Scratching his head, Bronsk hesitates.
"I don't remember. It iz written on the wall upstairs, but hyu must look through the mirror to see it."

[Lycar]

Varek grins "He, if you don't remember the riddle, then we can't solve it. So, should i take a look too ?"

Lycar

[Ozzy_G]

Karl is still sitting outside. Damnation, what are we going to do? If she finds out we're all werewolves...

[Amiria]

Lisaa

"Just hope for the best. Mia is wise, I don't think that she will run away screaming and betray us to the guards. We saved her life after all. And we never acted like evil, bloodthirsty savages.", says Lisaa but then looks away on the ground.

[Maryring]

Mia nods. "Yes, that might be a good idea. Come with me Varek, and I'll show it to you." She beckons for Varek to follow after her. "You can go out and tell Lisaa and the others that they can come back in." Mia says as she leaves the room with Varek. Up in the bedroom, she shows the strange writing to Varek and hands him the mirror. "There. You can read the poem if you look at it through the mirror."

[The Great Skenardo]

Bronsk
After Mia ascends the stairs, the young Miklaar breathes a heavy sigh of relief. Passing a calloused hand briefly across his brow, Bronsk steps outside.
"She took it better than I thought." he remarks, "She does not know about hyu two, though she must suspect."

[Ozzy_G]

What, you mean she knows about you now? Karl doesn't seem reassured by Bronsk's words.

[The Great Skenardo]

Bronsk
"Erm. Yes," Bronsk hesitates. "She...amazes me. Her first actions was expected, backing away, weapon drawn...but once Vakri talked to her, she calmed down. She seemed to believe that who I am iz more imporant than what." he shakes his head in wonderment. "First human I met who was so."

[Lycar]

COLOR="Orange"]"You can go out and tell Lisaa and the others that they can come back in."[/COLOR] Mia says as she leaves the room with Varek. Up in the bedroom, she shows the strange writing to Varek and hands him the mirror. "There. You can read the poem if you look at it through the mirror."

Varek looks over at Bronsk for a moment, but then he follows Mia up the stairs. He is eager to get a look at that poem. And at himself in that mirror too.

"Thanks Mia."

Taking the mirror from Mia, he first takes a long look at his own reflection in there. Then he goes and reads the poem.

"Oh.. the drop in the cup that smells of honey... that must be the dew from the poem ... maybe you have to .. uh.. make the cup fill itself with this nektar stuff or something ? Or maybe, if this cup is supposed to never empty itself, it's enough to lick up the drop ? And if that opens one's eyes... maybe then we can see what to do with the other items... "

Lycar

[Maryring]

"You might be on to something there Varek. Although... there is one thing. Ami seems to have a special connection to water. So why would she require nectar, a sweet drink from flowers, to open her eyes?" Mia ponders her own question. "Hmm... still, I think we should give it a shot. The magic has to remain in that cup, otherwise the drop would have vaporized already. She moves to the door. "Are you coming Varek? I want to see if we can get that drop from the cup and onto the coin."

[Lycar]

Varek takes another good and long look at his own reflection in the mirror.

"Heh... my eyes are still.... huh ? Oh yes, sure... the coin you say ? Yeah well, have to try everything eh.... sure i'm coming, i don't want to miss that- uhm, what about you ?"

The last part being directed at Tyrgon.

Either way, Varek is following Mia downstairs again.

Lycar

[Maryring]

Spoiler

Show

Tyrgen's not in this room.

"Heh." Mia says as she hears Varek remark his own reflection. "Varek, can I ask you something?" She says as the two begin walking down, then, without waiting for an answer to that, she turns to him. "What is it like? To be a werewolf I mean. I know this might sound like a strange question, and I know you haven't been aware about it for long, but I just had to ask. I've heard several stories of what werewolves are supposed to be, but I've never been able to ask a werewolf how he actually feels about his situation." Suddenly, Mia blushes. "Sorry, there I go again. Speakin too quickly. You don't have to answer that question." She adds just as they enter the main room again, where Tyrgen is waiting for them.

[Lycar]

Varek stops and frowns, thinking about Mia's question.

"Good question ... i was wondering about that myself really... i mean, when i... you know..... the guards, they tried to kill me... i was just defending myself and yet.. i was so angry... so terribly angry... i don't recall every detail of what ... happened.... but when i was finally myself again, i just found mysself... well... furry and on four legs. I was just scared and confused. And i'm still shocked about what i did.. i would have beaten them up, sure.... but... it wouldn't have been neccessary to kill them all like that... maybe except the bastard who started it. I mean, what kind of sick bastard goes to kill you after you have surrendered ? Seriously.... and still.... so there i was and i just thought i'd better run before more people showed up. So i did... just had enough wits together to grab my armour and the strap of my club with my teeth before running off. And when i was outside the city.. i just had this feelign i really ought to come here and hide. Which i did."

"The strangest part is that running on all fours didn't feel as weird as it probably should. And yeah well, i suppose i should have had a much better sense of smell and stuff.. but i didn't really got to ... well.. test it. And i didn't really know how i got on all fours.. or how to get back."

"But apart from that i was still myself. Only as a wolf. But Bronsk ? It seems to work different for him. Is it that wolf-spirit thing inside him ? His eyes change colour when he's a wolf. Mine don't. Maybe that has something to do with it."

Varek shrugs and continues downstairs.

"Maybe i can tell you more once i had a bit of time to learn something about all that myself."

Lycar

[Maryring]

Mia nods, seemingly not aware of Tyrgen's presence. "I see... but if what I have read is true, and what I sensed from you when I used my magic, it seems you can eventually control your powers..." Mia sighs. "But isn't it a frightening power? I mean, you gain a larger, more powerful body. But does it change who you are? Who you identify yourself as? Or do you consider yourself the same person regardless of the guise you have?"

[Ozzy_G]

So, uh... Karl looks uneasy. Should we tell her the rest of us are werewolves. If she doesn't use the mirror, it seems better to avoid telling her. She's be suspicious of a whole pack of werewolves.

[The Great Skenardo]

Bronsk
Bronsk stands silently for a moment, ruminating. Finally, he speaks.
"Hyu should know this; Ami Michelle, she was like us. She was a werewolf, as was the Ninjinzuishou. I think thiz riddle and the door in the mountain, they are all related. I was told, hyu know, that it iz up to us to discover some great truth." Glancing back at the house, Bronsk continues, his brown eyes serious.
"Mia does not know thiz. No one does. Think about that, when you decide. It iz your own choice to tell her or no."

[Lycar]

"But does it change who you are? Who you identify yourself as? Or do you consider yourself the same person regardless of the guise you have?"

Varek considers this for a moment, then he shrugs "I dunno.... i know i wasn't in control when i killed the guards. I was just... not quite myself really. As for power. He, i already am quite powerful. I mean strong. I'm the strongest guy in our gang. That's why i get to beat up people. I think you know what it means to be poor and a child in a big city. You learn to take care of yourself. It's that or you don't get old. I mean, we could easily have made a living by mugging people. But you see, the guards.. maybe as long as we were still little, they kinda took pity on us. They didn't seem too eager to actually catch us. More content with running us off once we took a loaf of bread or two. But if we would have started mugging people.... we would have had to make sure not to leave witnesses behind. Ever. We kinda didn't want to do that."

"I don't know really. I'm way too clumsy to be a thief. But i'm mighty strong. So i was our fighter type. If we had to go and defend ourselves, i was the guy in the lead. I know how to knock the fight out of people. But there are rules. You don't kick someone when he's down and out. Sure, some say that the best way to make sure an enemy won't come after you again, ever is to off them. But i mean... we don't want to live in a world where you just kill each other off for nothing, right ? I mean, if we get to fight another gang and we beat them, thats good enough, right ? You just don't go and kill people if you don't have to. Thats just wrong. You knock 'em out and take their stuff. That's punishment enough."

"I don't know. Maybe being a werewolf makes things harder because it's so damn easy to kill someone, even if you don't mean to. And even more easy if you do. Damn, i really wish i didn't kill them guards. Except the one guy of course, he can rot in hell !"

Varek takes a deep breath before going on "You know, i am about to find out soon nough i suppose."

Lycar

[Maryring]

A brief smile flashes over Mia's face "Yeah, I kinda noticed. I mean, it's not like it is difficult to see. That you're strong I mean. Both you and Bronsk look like you're athletes from Miklagard. Then the smile fades and she becomes more serious. I wouldn't know what it is like to be you though. I know that it is a struggle just to survive, but I've never had to struggle like the children in the big cities of Sotonia must. I... hmm... no, I won't tell you about my past. It's not something I want to share..." Her voice breaks down for a second, but she quickly recovers. "But you shouldn't feel bad about killing those guards. Well, I mean, you should, but... just, don't feel guilty. You had surrendered, but one of them tried to kill you, and you had to fight back to survive. It could have been avoided yes, but if there is anyone who is guilty, then it is the guard who struck you while you were down. And I agree with you. Personally, I would prefer a world where we wouldn't have to fight... but that is not our world. Our world is a violent one. And that's why I'm happy to hear that even though you live by the sword, heh, or perhaps I should say the club, you still show mercy." Mia looks Varek into his eyes. "That's a very valuable virtue of yours. Take care not to lose it." Mia takes up the cup from the table. "But, we can continue this later. Now, do you have any idea on what we can do to fill this cup with nectar, or how we can get nectar out from it and onto the eye?"

[Lycar]

"Sure do" says Varek, grinning, and deftly pokes his fingertip into the one drop of nectar in the cup, then dabs it onto his closed eyelids.

He opens his eyes again looking around curiously.

"What ? That's exactly what you asked. Oh, you mean the coin is the eye somehow ? Uh.. okay... same thing then i say."


Lycar

[Maryring]

Mia laughs a friendly laugh. "Yes, I meant the coin." Still giggling, Mia takes the cup and glances into it. "Hmm. There is still nectar in there. Let me try." She dips her finger into the nectar and touches the coin on the wall, however nothing happens.

[Ozzy_G]

Karl paces up and down. Hmmm...
He stops, faces the door, and squared his shoulders. Well, shall we go back in?

[The Great Skenardo]

Bronsk
The young nord nods. "Yes. Let us focus on solving Ami's riddle."
Following behind, Bronsk enters the cottage.

[Ozzy_G]

Karl follows, his expression changing from nervous to neutral. When they reach Mia, he says We didn't find anything outside. What have you discovered?

[Maryring]

"Hmm?" Mia turns from the coin on the wall to the others who just entered the room. "Nothing. It appears that nothing happened when I tried to place "nectar" on the "eye". Perhaps we need to get that light on it first... or perhaps this isn't the right kind of nectar."

[The Great Skenardo]

Bronsk
A suspicion forms in the mind of Bronsk.
"May I examine the cup please, Mia?"

[Maryring]

"Yes of course." Mia says as she hands the cup to Bronsk.

[The Great Skenardo]

Bronsk
Bronsk sighs internally.
I feel a little guilty about this, but I don't think she's ready for what might be the truth yet...

Closing his eyes, Bronsk adopts an expression of intense concentration, and holds his hand over the top of the cup, fingers splayed. He counts slowly to ten in his head. Looking serious, Bronsk dips a finger into the cup and collects a small drop of nectar, which he then touches to the coin in the wall.