[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

Phen could practically feel Isabel's trepidation, so she sought to lightly clasp the vampire's forearm and guide her away from Dragon Scales Smithing at the last minute. With effort, the nyad made her body posture seem as casual as could be, with the sole exception of her tucked up wings. "I didn't want to pry earlier," she began to explain as she tried to fall back into step beside Isabel, "But before we go in there, I really need to know why that place makes you so nervous. I don't want any more surprises today."

Sanna had gone back into her nyad's hair during the latter portion of the walk, but with the sudden shift in direction she poked her head back out and tasted of the air. The angel snake's wings lifted out of Euphenia's pale gold locks, providing the nymph with a living and mobile fashion accessory.

"You don't have to go into much detail, as I understand it isn't any of my business. However, I want to know what I'm getting into," Phen finished and kept walking, hoping that Isabel would prove to be as courteous and willing to share information as ever.

(( I hope the detour is okay, Amber. If any details need tweaking, let me know. ))

[Isabel]

Isabel was just about ready to enter the blacksmith's shop despite her anxiety but was pulled away at the last minute by Bubbles. Her heart started pounding a mile a minute thinking that trouble was coming but calmed down once Bubbles just wanted an explain about her reluctance to enter the shop.

Thinking back, Isabel could sum it up in a few sentences. “Well... I happened to have met the owner of the shop once before and for some reason he has some bad blood against vampires. The minute he saw what I was, he would have killed me if he had the chance if the goddess herself hadn't intervened with a warning. I'm just worried now that with all the trouble brewing, he might take this as an opportunity to kill me on the spot - and any other vampires on the spot.” Isabel gave a slight shudder at the thought but supressed it quickly enough.

(( No problem with me! n.n ))

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

Euphenia wanted to excuse the whole thing as a big misunderstanding, but there were too many facts backing up what Isabel claimed.

First, the owner of Dragon Scales Smithing was Kiel's boyfriend, Zephyr. That was something Kiel had told Phen, and Kiel never lied to her. Second, Kiel had also mentioned that Zephyr didn't have employees other than Kiel himself, and her best friend wasn't the sort that would seek another's death based on their race. No, such an act would go directly against Kiel's very nature.

It all added up to one thing, Kiel's boyfriend was a vampire hater, and a violent one at that. The likelihood that it was someone else pretending to be Zeph was slim, as from what Kiel had told Phen, Zephyr was a very distinctive man with a personality that would be harder than sneaking Xanth's statue out of her quadrangle to impersonate.

Phen's blood ran cold and she shivered in the warm afternoon sun. Kiel praised Zeph abilities so often that he made the man sound like a god of combat. What would stay the hand of someone like that when they were blinded by hate? "Only the Goddess," Phen murmured to herself, "Unless he loves Kiel, only the Goddess could stop him."

That was another point in Isabel's favor, and as the full truth of the vampire's story fused with Phen's preexisting opinion of Kiel's choice in a romantic partner, Phen ended up asking the most classic of questions. "Why? Why does he hate vampires so much? Why did the Goddess herself come down and save you?"

Slowly shaking her head, being careful due to the angel snake nestled in her hair, Phen pursed her lips. "I don't have the answers."

Sanna's wings tucked themselves back under Phen's hair as the nyad started to turn with the intention of eventially returning to Dragon Scales Smithing. "While I am grateful for Xanth shielding you, Izzy, I suspect it was only for the one time. The Xanth with whom I am familiar believes in her people being able to stand on their own two feet. Now that you know what you're getting into, I don't think there will be further divine intervention. With that said, are you certain you still want to go into the shop? I could check in with my friend first and see if the owner is there, or if he could be kept distracted so he wouldn't notice you."

[Isabel]

Isabel gave Bubbles a few minutes to digest the information she shared. In fact, she also needed the time to try and figure out what she also said earlier about a friend of hers working at the shop. The last time she was there there was no one in the shop other than the owner. Maybe it was her friends day off. Either case, it still boggles her mind how on earth could someone work with smithy; or rather how could the smithy work with someone else. He didn't seemed the type to get along well with others. In any case, with someone else there or not, she still had to go inside.

After a few minutes, Bubbles turned to her and asked her for the second time whether or not she was sure that she wanted to go inside. With a determined look in her eye, Isabel answered with as much conviction she could muster but didn't really feel deep inside, “No that's fine. I'm fine. There's no need to go through the extra trouble. I also feel that I need to do this. If the owner is there, he has no right to turn me down or rather put me down... if he doesn't kill me first. I have nothing to hide and have done nothing wrong. He has to learn at some point how to co-exist with my kind and we are not as bad we seem. This thing that is happening now is only making things worse which is why we have to stop it as soon as possible. A mere blacksmith is not going to stop me.”

Isabel failed to notice the meaning in her words, but subconsciously at some point, she had begun to accept what she had become.

[Euphenia]

PB · DaFont · Aethereality · rcr · Obsidian Dawn· Beyond Tonight · Dreams Time

"Alright, then," Phen agreed with a confirming nod, "We go in together."

A few strokes of Phen's fingers was all it took to encourage Sanna's wings to tuck back under the nyad's pale gold hair. Euphenia wished that things would be so simple in preparing herself for meeting Zephyr for the first time. She'd wanted to since Kiel had initially described the man, but in that moment, Phen wasn't so sure she was ready. Would she be able to be polite? Zephyr was her best friend's boyfriend, after all. Yet, if he was rude or violent to Isabel ...

Offering up a prayer to Xanth to please not allow the situation to decline into chaos, Phen gathered up her courage and opened the door to Dragon Scales Smithing. She made to go in first, unconciously becoming the proverbial "human" shield.

[Official NPC]

(( We're advancing the timeline here to get things where they need to be. PMs shall be sent to those who need to be updated on what's coming up.

Oh, and this is Colleen. ))

Connecting.

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INCOMING TRANSMISSION.

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Balderdash. Fickle fish. Short goose.
Sickle fish moon fall teeth.

Name scoop, wrong wrinkle. Two young seeming women went into a shop known as Dragon Scales Smithing some time in the early afternoon on a day with mostly clear skies and less than remarkable foot traffic.

One had long blond hair that was light enough to almost look white, with facial features both dainty and pale. She wore a long gray coat that had large feathery gray wings sticking out the top of it. Likely a fledgling anyeli. Purportedly she also had another set of wings upon her head. These were white feathered and much smaller than those seen on her back.

The other was even paler fleshed than the first, but darker of eye and hair. What little was seem of her face was memorable. Should be easy to track. According to our sources, she stayed behind the winged girl, as if unsure of entering the smithy, but went in after the anyeli as if she did not wish to be left behind.

They stayed inside for little more than fifteen minutes. Upon their emergence, they were accompanied by a man said to work in the Dragon Scales Smithy on a regular basis. Ezekiel Taskel, a male Dracovari of the Rutilus Sept. Also works as a courier for a man known as Marty. We shall be getting more intelligence about him before the day is out. Information on the girls is harder to come by. Feelers will be put out.

The group headed north-northeast. Will send sea salt. Thomas lane rolling. Silent buzzard will the way.

Mark off.

TRANSMISSION ENDED.

Disconnect?

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Command received.

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Transmission deleted.
Memory wiped.
Connection disconnected.