RP:Subtle Signs and Differences

Part of the Venturil's Bane Arc

This is a Necromancer's Guild RP.

The Thorne Estate, Vailkrin

Kasyr is in the proceed of craning back and staring quite fixedly at the sky, his hands shifting to the edge of the barrel he's seated on so as to better accommodate this particular pass-time. Really, it's an altogether relaxing endeavour for the Revenant- his mind drifting off to such a degree that the very noise of the city is reduced to a barely audible droning noise in the background. Suffice to say, it doesn't take long for the two men standing near the Kensai to realize that he's since stopped heeding the various requests and complaints that are being filed by their respective houses. The man on Kasyr's left is Nyles Mahara, who was simply tasked as a librarian within his house- until a string of misfortune (and laziness) led him to his current position as errand boy for his house. Mid-sentence, he'd simply cut off and peer at the Revenant, one hand thoughtfully scratching at his beard, "...And we lost him." From Kasyr's right comes an all-too-exasperated sigh, before the man on the right, a Mr. Rupert Markan, proceeds to lean in front of the Revenant, place a hand over his mouth and engage in a bit of all-too-audible stage whispering. "You say that as though he was paying attention in the first place." Kasyr take's that moment to lean back a bit further, his head tipping away from the pair, to instead peer behind him- something which seems to draw enough ire from Rupert that his pale complexion begins to darken into one more akin to that of an overripe tomato. "Why are we even here?" Nyles response is succinct enough, consisting of a helpless expression and a slight shrug, "Short straws? It's poor timing, either way." That thought is accompanied by a glance in the direction that had arrested the Revenants attention. Indeed, the subject is immediately recognisable, given that it's The Thorne estate, an edifice which at one time used to emanate both an air of great dignity and dire foreboding...and had most assuredly seen better days. That the building still -stood- despite having been in the very midst of both a civil war, and an interdimensional catastrophe spoke volumes- but those particular experiences had certainly left it in need of renovations. In the end, the honour (and responsibility) of seeing to the estate's restoration had been placed upon vampires of House Ginavi; one of the central noble houses within Vailkrin. Their brood tended to be naturally gifted in the dark arts, a particular affinity which was only further refined by the vigorous training that those individuals who belonged to that house were engaged in. And it was for those talents that they were chosen; in the hopes they might grasp what was necessary to return the estate to it's former glory. And, for the most part, they were quite efficient about it, their particular talents having lent them both the capacity to 'generate' a number of bodies (the less questions asked the better), before animating them and setting them about those tasks which required menial labour. Something which left them free to bicker over the schematics for the house itself. ...Kasyr still wasn't sure why he was dragged here. "..Maybe they're worried about waking something up." He can't help but pause then, before glancing over to Nyles and Markan, "..Wasn't there Three of you? ...Actually, never mind. I'd rather not know."

Some houses, as is commonly known, can be said to never posses a soul; these are the houses which - no matter how many rosy-cheeked children are born there to devoted and kindly parents who are very much in love and taking care of both sets of kindly old sweet-as-pie-grandparents, over however many generations - simply never have any feeling about them whatsoever, and may as well be toolsheds for all the warmth they radiate. Then there are the houses which, no matter how long they stand empty, still resonate with every footstep ever taken there, every word spoken, every emotion evoked. These are the buildings which 'speak' to their occupants and give visitors a welcoming, sunny bit of warmth no matter the weather - or, as sometimes happens, a clear sense of their own imminent and excruciating demise. And most interestingly, and thankfully not too often, in the latter case there will exist a house that also prefers to help people along with the fulfilment of that exact, foreboding terror.

Into which category did the home of Tenebrae fall? As Kasyr and the two House representatives chatted back and forth, a loose plank tumbled from the gaping hole in the manse's upper floor and staved in the skull of one of those walking dead who'd been tasked with the bulk of the clean-up operation, while a load of blackstone pavers did their best to look innocent while rendering to bone meal the right lower leg of another member of this cheap, undead labor force. Crashes and thick-throated groans aplenty, vampires looking snooty and indolent, and all sorts, greeted the Thanatos Domina as she trod up the little road to her once-magnificently understated home. Which is, now we look at it, most definitely a member of that lattermost category.. For the moment, Tene just assumed it was Kasyr-style chaos-as-usual and let out a brief 'ahem' to announce her presence behind the trio while looking down her pert, pale nose at the necromantic skills displayed in the yard of the unhappy manse.

Kasyr can't help but fidget at the ensuing din, those peculiar Calico-Ears of his seeking to press back against his skull in refuge from the noise. That being said, despite doing his utmost -not- to hear the anarchy going on about the work site, he's more than aware of Tenebrae’s arrival. If only because he's leaning back so far on the barrel-turned-seat that he's staring directly at her, albeit in an upside-down fashion. Sparing only a moment to glance at her features, the Kensai proceeds to offer her an amicable salute, "Bonjour, Madamoiselle Joliette. Are you faring well, et tout cela?" Both Nyles and Rupert do not share the Revenants chipper disposition, though the former at least keeps his composure and simply backs away. Rupert, however, begins to get a particularly pinched look about his face, a sheen of sweat forming about his already beet red face, "See here, Lord Azakhaer. There's yet to be... We've not yet come to a..." Mr. Markan snaps his fingers near Kasyr's head a few times, and doesn't particularly get any results . In the background, deliberations have momentarily shifted away from observation of the schematic, and more towards ascertaining -who- was to blame for further damages being caused to the site. Poor leadership, perhaps? Always good to have an excuse to fall back on.

Tenebrae wiggle-fingered a little greeting to the adorably inverted Kasyr, and had her mouth open to reply to him when interrupted by Markan's blustering, at which point she both closed her mouth and blinked very slowly while waiting for his angst to peter out. And when it did, she ignored both he and his companion-in-duress so profoundly as may actually induce a shiver of lower-cerebral anxiety regarding their right to exist at all. "Kasyr," she intoned, a dulcet and honeyed word followed by more of the same, "I take it this little... gathering.. is in aid of restoring my manse?" Her smile was every bit as cloying. "Have I mentioned how terribly --kind-- it is of you, to donate such a taskforce to repairing this heinous mess, caused by...." the smile grew wider. Less sugary. Much less. "... who was it again?" In the background, half a tonne of oak floorboards shuddered, making a loud wooden clatter as they jumbled together. Almost as though something below them was not very pleased about having half a tonne of timber floorboards on top of it.

Kasyr is trying his best to be all diplomatic and official, but he really can't help but smirk, just a touch, at manner in which Rupert clams up. Even moreso, when the fellow promptly turns his focus to his companion, in the hopes of finding a sympathetic ear. By this point Nyles, who seems almost grateful to be of no concern, has already produced a book and begins to read it- compounding poor Rupert’s situation. Kasyr can't help but shake his head, really, before the entirety of his attention returns to Tenebrae. Her words are noted with some degree of care, but no answer is immediately forthcoming. It's only after a few moments of deliberation that the Revenant adds, "I didn't mention it. Because I found the task of scribing out an encompassing list of every individual and entity that decided they were going to rule or raze Vailkrin over the last few months." Kasyr looks a bit contemplative there, before he adds, "Find. Even. The summary of the situation es..A bunch of Elitist lunatics. There was a dragon, briefly, too. Then there was a bunch of cultists et all their creatures.' Kasyr awkwardly folds his hands together, "..Unfortunately," For Tenebrae, mostly, "The individuals who were responsible for these debacles have since been disposed of." A thoughtful pause, and the Revenant adds, "There -is- a number of prisoners, however, from those factions." A dwindling number, but that's besides the point.

Tenebrae listened with a widening green gaze, nodding with an air of profound understanding as to the various travails the poor city had suffered in her long absence. At the conclusion of the list, she raked that limpid, peridot-hued perusal over Kasyr's two companions who, unlike Kasyr, caused the gaze to narrow ever so slightly. "Did you not also mention some sort of .. trouble with the vampire Houses?" The phrasing was delicate, in the way a spider web is delicate. Unless you're a bug. "My poor house..." her mercurial aspect focussed on that now, the shambles of it, the tragedy of... "My begonias! And the tea service. The harpsichord!" Her fingers flew to her lips, and she turned the brunt of her maidenly distress upon Nyles and Rupert, "Walk with me," she whispered, and turned to Kasyr. "You, too.. M'Lord," with the final word fairly drowning under the weight of the sincerity afforded it. "All of us. Immediately. Let us go among the wreckage and open ourselves to the genius loci...." She blinked. "Did someone seriously resurrect these doddering cadavers using the Rachburn configuration? I could spot that old meat-monger's hallmark resonance anywhere..."

Kasyr might note that one of Tene's hands was much darker than the other, a peculiar, purplish tone to the skin that ended abruptly and in a perfect line around its delicate wrist.

Kasyr can't help but afford Tenebrae an amused look, his position atop the barrel shifting so that he looked all but poised to tumble over, "Aye. That particular trouble was related to the war. Some of the houses took Affront to the current state of Vailkrin, and the possibility of Redhale assuming the mantle of leadership and took measures to try and wrest control for themselves. For the most part, they've been dealt with, though I don't doubt there's a fair few that haven't been accounted for, and are biding their time. And there was that incident with house Kikei..." Kasyr shakes his head at that point, before he recomposes himself, "For those houses that placed their Loyalty in both Redhale et myself there's little amiss, beyond the sadistic pleasure they seem to take out of deluging me with paperwork." It's at about that point that he realises she's since allowed her attention to meander onto more...important things- namely, the manner in which she's directed her focus to the paperwork patrol. Nyles is fairly quick to respond at least, clapping the book he was reading shut, if only to secret it away upon his person and address Tenebrae with a lightly spoken, "As you would, M'lady." Rupert, on the other hand, seems to have his expression stuck between a squint and a look of aggravated perplexion, "Walk with..? But the matters have already been del-mmph." Nyles happens to nonchalantly yawn at about this time, his right arm covering his mouth, as his left claps over his companions. It's about this point that the Revenant realizes he's also been addressed in regards to this matter, something which coaxes him into gathering himself up from his haphazard sprawl and into a stand. From there, he'd simply sidle up alongside Tenebrae, all but poised to start walking when she does, "Certainement. I'll follow your lead, though I'll confess my ignorance in regards to purpose." A pause, and the Kensai idly adds, "So. . . nothing new." And really, given the lack of heed he's giving to the scowling Ginavi initiates or the manner in which he seems to have failed to notice Jolie's hand, it's seems quite the apt statement~

"Was that a question, Kasyr. And are they really calling you King of the Vampires these days?" While the stress on 'really' appeared to demand some sort of response, Tenebrae allowed no time at all before hurrying her pace toward the building's rather shabbily refurbished entrance hall. If the duo of parchment jockeys had managed to keep up, they'd find her whirling on them at the conclusion of this rush. "Can you feel it?" she breathed, and pressed her palms to the stonework. On the other side of the building, a lone surviving gargoyle made a graceful, if grating, slide off its perch on the corner of a shattered rainspout and then clove another resurrected workman's head almost in twain, with a sound somewhat like a baby seal being hit with a stone axe. "There, there," whispered Tene to her manse, lips close to its black facade. "Tene's back. It'll be alright. Something," this last word was abruptly addressed to the paperworking pair, "Has deeply perturbed this building, gentlemen." Their avoidance of the Rachburn issue suddenly gelled. Tenebrae frowned. "Which of you used the configuration I mentioned? Or would you rather not own up to such a .. cheap... relic of a spell?" Her concern translated to the look she gave Kasyr, who would still have no clue what she was on about, seeing as he wasn't actually a necromancer and neither were Nyles and Rupert. But something was afoot. And ahead, too - or rather, a gargoyle.. in place of a head where the thing had lodged firmly in the remnants of the undead cranium it had crushed and the result came shambling around to the front of the house, presumably a bit confused as a consequence. "Kasyr," said Tenebrae, as the ingénue’s facade melted off her and something altogether more predatory came to the fore. "How well do you trust these men?"

Kasyr did offer a response to both questions, if a shrug and a wry smile count for anything. That aside, he simply follow's Tenebraes' lead, hands stuffed into the pockets of his trenchcoat. Rupert and Nyles, for their part, do a somewhat more admirable job of keeping pace, given that they have effectively made Careers (albeit misfortunate ones), out of following after the Revenant and badgering him with paperwork. At least, until they come face to face with the Gargoyle, and its rather..messy entrance. Before Nyles can even fully grasp the situation, Rupert's shuffled off to the side, and taken up a position behind Nyles, his expression the very picture of fright. Nyles, who already looked uncomfortable due to the creature, just looks moreso, now. Kasyr, on the other hand, just keeps walking, in an attempt to see how closely he can get to the thing. He has fond memories of these gargoyles, after all. Still, it definitely serves to keep him diverted, which leaves the parchment-pushing pair to deal with Tene. Rupert, surprisingly enough, is the first one to answer. . . in a manner of speaking. What it actually translates to, is a flustered confusion of half started words and sentences, ending finally in a simple, "Whaaaat?" Nyles for his part, is staring between Tenebrae and the Gargoyle, a look of perplexion on his features. It's only after a few moments of careful deliberation that he begins to speak, "What my..compatriot is trying to say, is he's a member of House Markan, as I am a member of house Mahara. The..." Tenebraes ensuing words cause Nyle's attention to slip away from the gargoyle and simply focus on her, suddenly aware that she was likely the creature more apt to murder him, "workings of these creatures, and what drives them isn't under our jurisdiction, domain, matter of interests, et cetera. Our placement here is .. simply." Kasyr chimes in with a helpful, "Annoying." to which Nyles adds, "something necessitated by Lord Azakhaers presence, as there's matters important to our respective houses." Nyles was -trying- -really- hard to be diplomatic, but he couldn't help it if his voice was getting a bit more frenetic and squeaky. He had the distinct impression he was dancing on a razors edge. Rupert, at this point, has given up on talking, and is staring at the floor, hoping to bore a hole through it with his gaze, to provide himself a means of extricating himself from this situation. Kasyr, on the other hand, is busy being... Kasyr, " Now that's tricky." Given that his trust is effectively reserved for members of Coven, Cabal, and a select few beyond that, "Oh. I can say I have no reason to -distrust- them, at least."

Tenebrae had never paid much attention to who belonged to which House, being hardly so noble in her beginnings, and it seemed she wasn’t about to start now. She bestowed on Kasyr and his lackeys a frigid sort of glare by way of collective response, and stepped forward to the poor cadaver who wore the gargoyle in place of most of its head. Planting a bootsole on one of its thighs, she grasped the gargoyle with both hands and tugged. Considering the present weakness in her left appendage, it was only good fortune that the head's jelly-like consistency allowed the statue to be removed with relative ease and a wet 'schluck'ing sound. The corpse, unable to deal with this level of misuse, simply fell over. Tene sighed and placed the gargoyle carefully on the stonework entrance path. "--What-- matters?" she snapped toward Nyles. "I want to be hearing about those 'matters' which necessitate surveillance measures being placed on my abode. " The necromancer nodded, her lips pressing together into a very thin line. "Yes. The Rachburn configuration. Very clever indeed, and anyone else would think you were simply a bunch of bureaucratic ninnies who wouldn't know a necromantic cantrip from a hole in the ground. Which is precisely what I do think!" She raised that emphatic forefinger Kasyr would be inordinately familiar with. "But! Why would such an innocuous and feeble resurrection spell trip all my manse's protective instincts? Eh?" This last syllable was spoken toward Rupert, which involved Tene coming rather to close to Nyles for anybody's comfort but her own and peering over his shoulder at the cowering vampire. "I'll --tell-- you why. Because the --Rachburn-- configuration inherently carries the same phonetic resonance as a rather complex and subtle scrying spell. So it's not terribly hard to mask it with the other. Is it? And who has had access to this site, and who was responsible for these shoddy workmen .. these unwitting .. spies?" It seemed for a moment as though the Thanatos Domina -might- just be calming down, since she went silent for a beat or two and backed up a few steps. Until her jaw dropped, and the front of her face warped into some shark-mouthed nightmare of a thing with phosphorous green eyes and a rather batlike nose that wrinkled further as the flesh of her face peeled back from those frightful fangs. And about them the house rattled up a storm, as if voicing the howl of impending violence going on in Tenebrae's not-so-pretty-now little head.

Kasyr is just standing to the side of this particular unfolding drama, with his left arm now tucked across his stomach, and his right elbow cradled in the midst, so that he can prop up his jaw comfortably. Every so often during Tenebrae’s explanations, the Kensai will simply nod, given that he's at least able to follow the basic premise. That being said, once Tenebrae leads into the matter of who is responsible, the Kensai gets a look of mild befuddlement. "..wait." Glancing up towards Tenebrae, he lifts up a finger.. and promptly lowers it again when she reveals that unpleasant party trick which explains what you'd get if you crossed a chitterlings mouth with a bat. It's wince-worthy, even for the Revenant, "..Right." Nyle isn't faring all that well, admittedly, given that his head simply crooks off to one side, a look reminiscent of abject terror spreading across his face. Rupert, on the other hand, has finally reached the limit of what kind of stress he can endure. Without Ceremony, he promptly begins to stumble away from the necromancer in a frenzy of clumsy footwork and discarded scrolls. It's about this point that Kasyr quietly adds, "Uh, Those two -aren't- part of the rebuilding effort. I should note.They're just assigned to find et follow me. Et then harass moi with documents. Constantly." For months, now. You know. On second though, the Kensai is sort of regretting even elaborating. Sure, he'll probably take -some- flak for this, but at the very least, he wouldn't have to deal with Rupert’s bluster and irritability. Not -quite- as sure that he wants to actually help, the Kensai is a bit quieter to add, "A few of those Ginavi fellows are still outside."

Tene was finding speech a tad difficult, at this point. Her joints seemed to re-dedicate themselves to angles of articulation that no humanoid limb should have to endure, as her up-titled snout snuffed for these .. Ginavi .. vampires and her forked tongue slithered out to confirm that taste. Rupert's rapid retreat distracted her from this, so much so that he'd almost summon the basest of her Empusai instincts - being hunt and kill, in that order - but reason somehow happened to (probably with a nod to fondness still held for Kasyr) keep a grip on the Necromancer, even as that particular section of Vailkrin was slowly swallowed by swathe of darkness so thick it possessed a tangible weight. "I ... want..." this was to Nyles, "My effing .. harpsichord. And the rest. Put back -precisely- the way it was." And Nyles, simply by being present, had at that stage become entirely responsible, in Tene’s mind, for the fact it wasn't already so. Through the shattered frames of once-elegant windows, Tene spied the cause of her present ill temper and stalked out into the all-pervasive gloom summoned by the foulness of her mood and a few judicious consonantal gasps that passed for words in some hideously-dialected part of distant history. With a snarl she vanished into it, and from the deepest focal point of that atmospheric abyss came shortly after a welter of sounds that bode not well for that particular and possibly overly-inquisitive House.

Kasyr takes one good look at what Tenebrae’s limbs are doing, and just winces again. Clearly, she fell down one hell of a hole. That being said, she seems. . . . Well, fine isn't quite the word here, but full of murderous Vitality seems oddly apropos. Thus, the Revenant simply claps his hands together, and proceeds to absorb Tenebrae’s management skills at work. At a glance it seemed to be a two step process of: instill the fear of Tene into them, followed by what had to be done to avoid inciting her wrath. "I should ask her to write a manual." Nyles, for his part, has at least enough sense to slowly nod, and do nothing else in an effort to avoid drawing further ire. Kasyr, feeling helpful, decides to interject, "I'll be sure to send a letter to your superiors stating the reason for your current re-assignment, and to smooth the process over. Because, let's face it. The rest of your unfortunate existence now hinges upon you finding those missing items, monsieur." Nyles, actually manages to restrain the whimper, and instead just proceeds to look like a mutt that's been kicked one time too many. Kasyr, for his part, offers a shrug, and then meanders over to a window, to watch Tenebrae at work. Sure, he might not be able to perceive anything directly, given the sorcerous shadows which have since consumed the area... but that empathic knack of his is giving him a fairly good idea of just how rapidly she's dispatching the unfortunate fellows. And, there might be a certain morbid curiosity that has him waiting to see if those unnatural shadows might reveal the remains of things she's since dealt with.

There wasn't much to see once the black tides of wrath abated - along with Tenebrae's appetite for both blood and revenge. But when the air cleared to that cleaner, simpler darkness of Vailkrin's perpetual midnight, the Necromancer could be spied in silhouette on the road's little hillside against a giant, blazing pearl of a moon, slowly regaining that shapelier shape more familiar to Kasyr. The shadow of her wiped its mouth with one hand, the other held a peculiar angle that suggested pain. It was a quieter, less angry little Tene that eventually stumbled back across the building site on one snapped-off heel, dishevelled and resembling a slaughterhouse mop post end-of-shift. "Sorted," she rasped, offering Kasyr a meek bow of a smile.

Kasyr looks at Tenebrae, and then peers at her surroundings, before he offers a simple affirming nod, "Duly noted. I suppose this means we're going to have to renegotiate how reconstruction of your house goes along." With a wry grin, the Kensai proceeds to run his hands up through his hair, if only so his fingers can stop when they reach his goggles. With a certain degree of care, he draws the band of the goggles up, if only so he can procure a pair of cigarettes that had been pinned beneath. Almost immediately one's placed to his lips, while the other is tentatively held out towards Tenebrae. "It's interesting, though. I have to wonder, was the goal to spy on you to try et find out your secrets? ..Because they're scared of you? ..Or something else. J'en sais pas." It's about this point that Kasyr glances over towards Nyle, "I'd offer you a smoke, but these are my last ones." He's totally lying about that.

Tenebrae would just have to deal with how red and soggy that cigarette became when her finger and thumb closed on it. Her hand - the dark one - was shaking slightly as the other held the smoke to her lips, waiting for a light. "Who knows," she muttered, "But it makes me wonder if Vailkrin is the best place for..." where was that light, Kas? ".. the uh. Stuff. Listen, though." The necromancer paused, still trying to get her mind back in line with reason, and her speech unslurred, "That lot.. clearly can't be trusted. And with the problems you've had prior.. " she shrugged, and regretted it, "If you need a villain to sort things so you come out lily-white, well. Win-win. You know?"

Kasyr may have failed to notice her hand before, but it was a bit more noticeable now, something which has the Revenant glancing away from Tenebrae’s features and towards the afflicted limb. "You alright?" That question asked, the Kensai simply draws his fingers beneath his cigarette and snaps his fingers, that peculiar affinity with electrical energy he possesses being focused through the motion, producing a brief but intense flare of energy that serves well enough to light his smoke . That same motion is repeated for Tenebrae’s cigarette, albeit with a certain degree of care taken towards not giving her some degree of static shock. He'd rather she not smack him. That done, he thoughtfully begins to puff, "It's Vailkrin. I think it's a safe practice to at least suspect that everyone has their own agendas." With a chuckle, he'd continue, "As for issues, I've no doubt that there -won't- be an end to it. The only thing I can do es manage them, one crisis at a time." Taking in a deep drag, the Revenant leans towards Tenebrae and offers her a grin, "So, I'd be perfectly happy to take your assistance as things come along. Though, I've no intentions of letting you do all the dirty work. Whilst I've done my best to avoid being a bloody tyrant, or unpleasant for the sake thereof- I'll not shy from what needs to be done." He can't help but broaden the grin, a look of genuine amusement there, "Can't have them thinking I'm weak et all."

Tenebrae nodded at the disappointing wisdom of that, as well as the question of her being alright, and dragged on her smoke til the sides of it buckled in. "Kasyr. At the risk of saying too much.. you know how people get all.." she shrugged again. ".. antsy, whenever I'm about. Over-react, et cetera. Anyway. Where I have been? Vampires are not.. exactly.. the top of the food chain, if you get my drift." Some part of her still yearned, as it had done earlier in the tavern over whisky, for simpler days when trust was implicit and life not such a minefield. "I .. we.. ought to have a talk, some time. About what happened there." At least, the parts she felt were safe to talk about. "But the upshot is, I'll be hunting. Vampires. And as I owe you...and your cranky wife... a um. You know. We both made errors. The least I can do is make that a process that does not disadvantage you, too badly." Stubbing the cigarette out, Tene watched its little sparks die one by one.

Kasyr raises an eyebrow during her explanation and ...ensuing bits, listening attentively. It's only when she's done that he takes one more drag of his smoke, and flicks it off towards the road, "If it's something you feel we should talk about, then I'll have to make a point of lending tu my ear. When it's the right time et place." It's on that note, that the Revenant straightens up, and begins to move aside, "In the meantime, I think you need to go et learn that fellow, " An inclination of his head towards Nyles, "on the finer points of harpis..sichord retrieval. Et all that other fun stuff." And with that, the Revenant stuffs his hands in his pockets and begins to meander off, "I'll see tu around, non?"

“Probably…” But Kasyr wouldn’t hear it, he was already on his way to wherever he was going. Tene's attention had no-one to turn upon now but the ex-librarian.

Tenebrae said to Nyles, “It’s like a piano.”

Nyles automatically begins to pipe up about how he (being an ex-librarian and all) already knows that, and in fact Tenebrae was actually incorrect in the comparison, as harpsichord strings are actually plucked rather than stricken and thus possess an entirely different….

She was staring at him again.

Nyles said to Tenebrae, “It is, a bit. Like a piano. A lot, actually. Very like one. Of those, in fact .. and perhaps I’ll be off to Cenril now and see the instrument maker about…”

Tenebrae watched him inch away as he spoke and then run.. hopefully toward Cenril. Then trudged away to the Corpse for another round of whisky and a quiet booth in which to contemplate this day’s various developments.