RP:A Blue Stone

This is a Adventurer's Guild RP.

Summary: Lita and Leoxander pay Meri a visit at her art gallery, where they find her trying to see if the stone that was found during their recent leviathan hunt contains any information of note. Could it be something of importance? Or nothing at all. Lita takes an etching, Leo has a friend who he thinks could be able to help. Maybe.

The Rebel Room:Art Gallery

Meri :: These days it was a bit hit or miss as to if Meri could actually be found within her Gallery. As Lita has already learned, her time is unevenly divided between Kelay-Sage and Cenril. The blonde made a point to sprinkle in other locations, just to keep life exciting for both herself and the people that might be trying to locate her. What fun was it if she was always so easy to find? But for today, Meri was in her shop, easily spottable on the main floor space that was devoted to selling various art pieces. She wasn’t alone, in her company was a raven-haired child and the black wolf that Lita had seen when she visited the treehouse, the one that Meri had instructed to show Lita to her room. Fleur was posted up on the floor, playing color, while the wolf laid on the ground next to her in a very relaxed pose. Meri was seated in a chair at a large desk with several papers strewn about before her and a few books open to various pages. It did not look like Meri was working on drawing or painting any pieces for the gallery at this exact moment. Her posture and the way that she was periodically seeming to reference one of those many books made it seem like she was studying…something? What that something was would be hard to determine from a distance. Still. Meri? With her nose in a book? What?

Lita has been to the gallery once or twice over the years but it's been a while. She offers Meri a small wave in greeting as she enters but the artist seems busy so she takes a minute to peruse the artworks hanging about. But eventually she wanders over to see what Fleur is working on. She'd helped the girl get into a bit of a mess with Meri's art supplies during their sleepover and since Meri had mentioned the girl not being able to get a real tattoo, Lita had wanted to make some temporary ones like she'd made up for Samson years before. "I brought you something." She says, crouching next to the girl and taking a few small papers from the pocket of her coat. The pieces of paper are decorated with simple designs; a blue rose, a heart with the girl's name, and the same goldfish with bubbles design she'd made for Samson originally, and a few other animals she'd thrown in, not certain what the girl would like the most. "You just peel off this wax here," she demonstrates with the corner of one, "stick to your skin and get it wet. The paper will dissolve. So you can have all the fun of a tattoo without your mom getting mad." That last bit is a conspiratorial whisper. She hands over the tattoos before standing again. "Don't worry, they fade after a couple of days and if she sticks one to her forehead, you can just scrub it off with soap." She says to Meri, making her way towars where the artist is seated. She taps the spine of the book Meri's got. "What you reading, gorgeous?"

Meri :: The black wolf that is laying next to Fleur has a very tempered reaction to Lita’s presence. His gaze lifts to the vampiric woman in recognition and then Ohtar allows his head to rest into his paws once more. She was good peoples. Fleur’s reaction is much more enthusiastic, for the child has always been a wild bundle of energy, possibly more so than your average youngster due to her werewolf lineage. “Lita!” Fleur exclaims in a very excited fashion, remembering the mess the two had managed to get into when the other vampire had visited the Treehouse. The two will be able to share their conspiratorial moment without interruption from Meri, but the blonde shifts in her chair so that she can look right at the two. A smirk pulls at her red lips, she could obviously hear every detail of their conversation due to her very keen sense of hearing but she objects to nothing that she hears. As soon as Lita shifts her attention from the Fleur to Meri, the young raven-haired child could be heard telling the wolf that rests next to her that they should get up and get some water. Ohtar does not seem to move though. The wolf was quite intelligent and seemed to strangely have the sense that the child should probably not be left to fetch her own water, not yet, not at her age. This was something she’d need assistance with and, well, Ohtar lacked thumbs. He buys the two women a moment to chat by pawing at the charcoal sticks that Fleur had previously been playing with prior to being given those stick-on tattoos. It was an attempt at a distraction. “Books,” Meri answers in a cheeky fashion. Further explanation is provided as Meri pushes papers aside to reveal a chunk of blue stone that has some sort of writing etched onto its face. “This came out of the belly of a leviathan and I am trying to figure out what language it is.” It was a challenge because the writing itself was worn, be it from the sea or from the digestive juices of the leviathan. Whatever.

Lita is intrigued as Meri reveals the mysterious blue stone. She snags a seat beside the blonde and pulls the stone a bit closer for inspection. She'd lived in libraries often in a past life, when she'd been more informant than artist and still human. She taps the edge of the writing, turning it slowly. "I have so many questions." She said with a smile, the least of which being how Meri had come to own anything that came from the belly of a leviathan. "You mind if I take an etching of it? I have some friends that might be able to help."

Leoxander hadn’t risked travel through Cenril with any intentions of stopping along the way, even when he glimpsed the sign labeling the art gallery he hadn’t seen before. The wolf’s sharp ears and nose picked up on faint, familiar voices and even more recognizable scents, causing him to pause in front of the door for a moment of contemplation. A glance over his shoulder and down the street taken before he reluctantly pulled the door open, blue eyes behind disheveled hair darting about the main room and scanning across the various paintings or sketches lining the walls, hood drawn back from his head as his gaze landed upon the two women, the child, and the wolf. He hadn’t a chance to speak with Meri at the tournament ceremony, not that he had anything in particular to chat about. But upon returning to the public eye it was best to be up to date on useful information to separate truth from rumor, and the fellow crow was a reliable source should there be details the rogue should know. Rather than directly approach, Leo took a moment to regard Ohtar, his eye contact direct but his body language relaxed, a neutral warning that he wasn’t a being the protective creature should try growling at.

Meri vacated her seat so that Lita could make use of Meri’s deskspace. “If you have questions, ask away. This isn’t a top secret project or anything, I will do my best to answer them.” Everything the other woman would need to make an etching would be easily located on the desk, from the parchment to the charcoal. Meri would have been more helpful in pointing this out to Lita, except they have another visitor drop into the Gallery. Ohtar also takes notice of the other lycan, his reaction to Leoxander’s presence not nearly as relaxed as it was when Lita arrived, but the wolf could hardly be described as hostile. For a moment, Ohtar watched Leoxander but there is a moment when the black wolf shifts his gaze from Leoxander to Meri to discern how the blonde woman was reacting to Leoxander’s presence. It was her that he would end up taking his cues from at this exact moment and since Meri’s reaction was more quite amiable to his presence, Ohtar went back to his preferred duty of being a companion to the rambunctious Fleur. Meri’s child normally might have been more interested in harassing this unfamiliar lycan but she has plenty to keep her occupied, be it her current art or trying to pick which of Lita’s temporary tattoos she’ll put on first. “Well, well, well. Look who it is. What brings you down here today?”

Lita is using Meri's supplies at hand, making a careful etching of the writing on the stone for later use. She can smell Leo somewhere behind her but doesn't turn to offer a greeting, wanting to get this copy done right. She jots a few initial notes at the bottom of the page for her own reference as well and finally stands again to offer the pirate a smile in greeting. Meri had already offered the Where the stone came from so she asks the next obvious, "How did you come by such a thing? Itching for a runner's game already?" She was teasing, regarding the new-ish setup of the fancy treehouse. "And look what the cat drags in." She says to Leo finally. She'd seen him at the tournament but had managed with pleasantries, and he'd seemed occupied with other company anyway.

Leoxander shifted his gaze from the wolf when the animal settled his attention back upon the child, the young girl studied by the pirate for a moment as he took a few steps into the artist’s space. “I haven’t a damn clue.” Emphasis on the ‘damn’. “Your place?” Her style of art was familiar and so were several faces of various persons residing in Lythridel. “Hey, Ace.” Leo’s jaw raised with a hint and twitch of a smirk on his features, practically a full beard sported for how long he’d gone without a shave. Hands rested casually in the pockets of his open jacket as he gave a curious but casual glance at the stone in Lita’s possession, old habits dying hard with the rogue when it came to potential treasure. “Seems my senses were pricklin’. What mischief you two goin’ at?”

Meri took a moment to answer Leoxander’s questions first, if only because his second inquiry tied very nicely into Lita’s own line of questioning. “Yeah, for a few years now. Ever since I decided to vacate Larket because they like to burn witches at the stake for falsified transgressions. It doesn’t help that the kid is a witch,” she motions to Fleur, if it wasn’t obvious which kid she was speaking of. Both Leoxander and Lita would be able to study the curious blue stone without any interference from Meri. The blonde had just said this was no secret and so she speaks openly about it. “So the Adventurer’s Guild was commissioned to complete a number of hunts, bringing certain parts back to a blacksmith who goes by the name of Nikola. One of the bits and pieces that she wanted was the spine of a leviathan. We found this curious stone within it. I am just trying to figure out if there is anything to what is written on it, any clues as to where the leviathan might have gobbled it up from. I mean, it’s not like that creature of the deep isn’t prone to some extended travels…but if it would be lucrative for my Guild to further explore this find…? Then I sure the heck am going to try. I’ve just never seen this material in particular before.” The stone itself was elerium, which has long been rendered inert, but it still retained it’s curious blue hue. “I’ve also got no idea about the language that has been etched into the face of the stone. Outside of that? Lita and I are both on our best behavior.” Despite the truth in this statement, Meri could not help but flash a devilish grin in a bid to suggest otherwise.

Lita moves a step sideways so Leo could get a closer look at the stone Meri was telling them about, if he so chooses. She folds the etching of it she's made and slips it into the corner of her coat pocket. "It looks a tad familiar, but only in that it probably shares a similar base language to others I've studied. No promises but I'll see if I can help dig up anything more." She scratches at her chin a moment, eyeing the scruff on Leo's face. She's about to make a snide comment when another part of Meri's explanation piques her interest. "What is Nikola doing with the spine of a leviathan?" Did she even really want to know? "Not to get off topic but in the interest of blacksmiths, have either of you worked at all with a Smith named..." What was her name again? "A redheaded foxkin girl?" The name was escaping her. But what was that name she'd kept scribbling? "Works with Lanlan I think." She hoped.

Leoxander withdrew his hand from his pocket and if she would comply, he reached out for the stone, willing to take a moment to inspect it for his own curiosity, but also on the chance that he might recognize some part of it. The only advantage he might have would be that he traveled those same waterways that sea monsters did, and had come across some underwater plunder a time or two in his existence. “If it’s elerium you’d be best off askin’ a spell flinger. I ain’t an expert at foreign script-” He started to say, but looked from the chunk of elerium to Lita, then Meri, to add, “But I do know someone pretty well versed in tongues. She might be able to read it.” The blue rock was offered back to whoever would reach to take it. Lita’s question sparked an old memory to mind, and his chest jumped with a chuff of a silent chuckle. “I suspect you’d be hard pressed to find a fox girl that ain’t red headed, but last one I worked with was a mechanic an’ that was half a lifetime ago. Aira, I think her name was.” But the rogue wasn’t all that good with names, usually because despite people having them, he tended to create his own or call them something else. Ace being a prime example. Had he ever called her Lita? He wouldn’t recall Aryleon’s presence at the ceremony because the bookie’s assistant had been disguised. Like the vampire, he wasn’t trying to change the subject, but he did nudge his jaw in Fleur’s direction. “That yers, too?” To Meri.

Meri first dips her head in a nod of acceptance to Lita’s ‘no promises’ remark and then she offers a shrug as to what Nikola might want with the leviathan spine. In truth, Meri did not care so long as she was able to make some gold off the blacksmith in the process. Instead Meri focuses on Lita’s question. The description of Arlyeon takes Meri a moment to process, as some of the information was new to Meri. Was Ina a smith? Meri did not know this, but if it is true then the blonde files that tidbit away for later. Does Ina work with Lanlan? Another bit of information locked away in that brain of Meri’s, it may or may not be useful down the line. Meri is the one who moves to take the curious piece of stone back from Leoxander, quirking a brow when he identifies the stone as Elerium. Meri tries to address all of the topics that are currently floating around the room. To Leoxander, “Aye, introduce me to this friend of yours sometime.” Meri would be curious to know what she has to say. A brief glance is spared to her child, whose energy seems to be winding down. It’s a sign that Meri would likely have to put the kid to bed. “Mine, yes, with Callum. But we’re long divorced and I’ve since met a better man.” Mention of Aira has Meri issuing a half-grin. The blonde had a soft spot for that redhead. To Lita, “He is not wrong about Aira. She is definitely a redheaded foxkin, but smith she is not. She’s a hunter, a ranger. I’ve never known her to speak of any smithing. I do know one other foxkin though. She introduced herself by the name of…” Meri thinks hard. “Trish. Yes. Trish. But…” Meri pauses a moment, letting her blue eyes shift to the front door to make sure that it would not swing open. All seems quiet as far as the lycan can tell, so the woman continues on with what she was about to say to her fellow rogues. “She may also go by the name of Tails.” Her rogue codename. “I don’t know if Trish is the same foxkin you speak of, but if it is…? Well she’s left a note in a certain den asking for help on some upcoming job ideas that she has. Might be worth your while to take a peek, maybe reach out, that’d be the only way to confirm that Trish is the same smith you speak of.” Plus, who in this room did not appreciate a solid job prospect? Meri sure did. A pause, and then Meri’s gaze settles on Lita. “Why do you ask…?”

Lita isn't sure who this Aira person is, at least not by that name if she did. She doesn't share the same moment of sentiment that Leo and Meri seem to. Neither the name Trish nor Tails spark any recognition right off the bat but she stores both for later. "I was pointed in her direction, looking to get a piece made. Met with her the other day about it, though I'm not at all certain she's all there." She taps her temple to emphasize her meaning. And again she's regretting not having done more research beforehand. But if the girl was this Tails person and was a fellow rogue, than that would at least lend some more weight to the decision already made. "Appreciate it, I'll definitely check the notice to see if I can help out." Said to Meri. She glances towards Fleur again and then back to Leo. "What trouble you gettin' into these days?"

Leoxander wasn’t positively identifying the stone, but he did have some knowledge of precious jewels, and as far as the floating mineral went it was fairly useless in his eyes. Hand returned to his pocket, he couldn’t help the low toned quip amidst a brief pause in the conversation, muttering with a smirk. “Better’n me? Must be a helluva guy.” He fell quiet after that to listen to the two go back and forth, ‘Trish’ being an alias he wouldn’t recognize, even if she was a part of the Murder. A much needed absence from Fox’s flock had been taken, hence the reason he’d stopped in to catch these new pieces of information and like Meri - file them away. A slight cant of his head and a matter of fact expression came with Lita’s remark on Tails’ sanity. “Prolly wouldn’t be our type if she didn’t have somethin’ wrong with her head.” Enough time given to punctuate that topic before he answered Lita with a half shrug of a shoulder, acting casual enough though it was of importance to him. “Ship’s nearly repaired. Problem is the lack of hands while everyone’s busy playin’ dress-up for the weddin’ pool. Do they jus’ find any g’damn reason to put on a dress an’ tie these days? Took a good sport an’ turned it into a bloody gala. The hell’s fashion got’a do with a f’gin fight? An’ don’t even get me started about the bird.” Hands emerge to open palms there way in a ‘stop’ motion, the left of which was wrapped in fingerless glove and bandages, the right reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose while he briefly closed his eyes and gave a small shake of his head.

Meri flashes Leoxander a smirk at his first quip, the expressions widens considerably when he makes the point that all the rogues have at least a little something wrong with their heads. “He does make a point, some more than others. That being said, I haven’t worked with Trish too much yet, can’t speak anything about her in depth.” The fact that neither Lita nor Leo didn’t seem to recognize the name of Tails did not exactly escape Meri’s attention. She attributed this to the fact that the both of them had been taking time to themselves, to work on their own projects, but she was not fully in the know of why. The talk of dresses and ties is met with a nod of understanding. Even if Meri had been present at the opening ceremony, she had gone in a gown. Meri had opted to wear her armor. “What can I say. People sure do like their parties.” Meri did not have much to say on that front, she had not even been present for long. Mingled with a few, enjoyed some free booze, and then went on her way. “If I hear of anyone looking to possibly join up with a crew? I will be sure to let you know. A few years ago I would have been apt to join but…” Meri motions to that kid she had. “Still, if there are any lucrative projects you need help on? Don’t be a stranger. I’m sure Magik wouldn’t be keen on my leaving him for any extended period of time…but maybe I could talk him into helping. We could make arrangements for the kid. That being said, Tessa and I had a thought about that ship of yours not too long ago. You and I will have to catch up with her soon.” With that being said, Meri’s gaze remains settled on her kid, who had taken to using Ohtar as a pillow. The wolf did not mind. If one thing was obvious, Ohtar quite adored Fleur.

Lita waves a hand with a little shrug, smiling in agreement at Leo's assessment that they all have a bit wrong with them, likely it's what brought them together at some point. Lita was more often out of the loop than not these days though she chose not to speak much on her time away, she was trying to be better about this socializing thing. She'd gone to the first tournament match, but only because she'd been in the area already, so why not. The gala though, she'd passed on. The last fancy party she'd gone to had been a disastrous wedding affair in Larket, too many years ago. "If it's hands you're looking for, I might be willing to help. Been a while since I helped on a ship," since Hanan had been around, specifically, "but I don't reckon too much has changed. It'd cost you though." She teased, knowing his escapades always landed themselves to decent profits, at least if you believed the tales. She glances at the kid and then back at Meri, "We should let you get that one to bed, but I'll let you know if I hear anything about the rock." She nods at the blue stone and then looks back to the pirate, "you up for a drink or got someplace to be?"

Leoxander action : folded his arms across his chest in a casual stance as he nodded to Meri’s mentions. Magik must be her new beau, and he was sure he had run across the man a time or two if not actually interacted much. “Long as she ain’t still keen to run her sword through me. She didn’t seem too pleased after last year’s tourney.” But perhaps that was his own imagination. Save Loravelle, he wouldn’t be surprised if ‘Fangs’ was the only one who recalled him actually being in the ranks, given the fanfare and spotlight that followed his former, fellow Cabalist. Another drop of his skull to Meri with a murmur of rare thanks. “Appreciate it.” Attention then moves to Lita and they might both be surprised, glad, or maybe just neutral to see that he wasn’t all glares and grumbling, a spark of amusement in sky blues. “If you’re buyin’ I’m drinkin’.” He accepted, glancing at the wolf and child for no particular reason once more, a light bap of knuckles to Meri’s arm in a sort of farewell before he turned and lo and behold, Leo went so far as to open the gallery door for Lita. How lucky she must feel.

Meri recalled Leoxander’s participation and had some sort of sense as to why Quintessa might have had that reaction toward Leo. “What can I say, she’s very passionate about winning. I am sure it will be fine though.” Meri was pretty sure at least, given the conversations that she has been privy to since then. While Lita and Leo were making their exits in search for a place to drink, Meri was moving to collect her child from Ohtar. The three of them would not be taking their own leave from the gallery, rather they would all be making their way upstairs and into the loft area that Meri sometimes resided in. There was a part of Meri that wished she could head out and join them both for a drink in an actual bar setting, but the momma-wolf would have to settle for her private stash of whiskey once she got the kid tucked into bed. Ah mom life, it wasn’t exactly something that Meri ever imagined for herself but…it was growing on her. A little bit. Okay fine, she loved her kid. “The two of you take care. We’ll all see each other soon, I am sure.” If not for news on a rock, then chat about a ship. Meri was going to do her best to rope both Leo and Lita into as many of her projects as she reasonably could. Out the door Lita and Leo go, only for Meri to lock the place up behind them, and into the loft-style apartment Meri goes.