Journal Entry
— October 28, 2026
Times: SLT
Locations: Turmus tea area,
festival grounds and Campfire; Shades of Turmus carnival; clothing shops.
Summary: With the trial behind
me, I spent the day enjoying moments with Kael and Ink, beginning ceremony
plans, shopping, and taking in the festival. Two stories at the Campfire
brought a welcome change of pace. The evening ended with Kael’s introduction of
Grace and my decision to pause and think before responding further.
Morning Blackwine and a New
Acquaintance — 5:56–6:12 a.m.
I began the morning with Odette
and Agamemnon Padar. Odette prepared my blackwine with verr milk and a little
white sugar. I introduced myself to Agamemnon as Lady Kati Evans, the Legal
Clerk of Turmus, and asked about his travels. He explained that he finds and
retrieves things mainly for collectors, although he sometimes works for city
officials. He has offices in several cities but considers himself always
traveling.
Our visit was interrupted by a
region restart. I briefly went to Shades of Turmus, where I greeted Khan and
Nyx, before returning. The timing was unfortunate, just as the conversation was
getting started.
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Letting Go of the Trial —
7:17–7:29 a.m.
Kael greeted me and asked
whether the festival had begun. I told him it had started after yesterday’s
trial and described the amusing tarsk ride, with the animals going everywhere.
When he asked about defending
Nadia on a bribery matter, I said I hoped not. I had filled in for Trent on the
case just concluded, and I wanted someone else to take the next one. Only after
the trial ended had I realized how tense I had been. I had spent so many hours
working on it, and I was trying to relax and enjoy the festival.
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Ceremony Planning with Kael and
Ink — 8:13–8:40 a.m.
Ink joined us, and Kael asked
her to help keep me out of courtrooms and offices so I could enjoy the festival
and plan our ceremony. I told him I had seen William Carver, who had officiated
our last companionship. Kael liked the idea of asking William again because we
both knew him.
We discussed two outfits each
for Kael and Ink: something formal for the ceremony and different clothing for
the reception. Ink would serve the wine of companionship. Kael suggested a
reception at the manse, both inside and outside near the stone table, and asked
about outdoor decorations and whether Zane might DJ. I would need to find Zane
again. Kael mentioned December 18 as a tentative date, but we did not settle
the arrangements.
Our conversation returned
briefly to the trial. Ink had not expected the outcome, and Kael described it
as a draw because the burden of proof had not been met. We laughed about the
discussion of Edward’s boots, and I explained that I had checked with Kelli
before objecting.
Before leaving, Kael gave me a
hug. Afterward, I told Ink that he was fun and seemed to care about me a great
deal. She agreed.
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Festival Visits and Meeting
Lady Belinda — 9:00–9:21 a.m.
I looked over the auction
prices, which varied considerably, and exchanged greetings with SecretRose and
Nicholas Eel.
Lady Belinda Blackwood
introduced herself and congratulated me on being courted. We exchanged names
and well wishes before she continued on her way.
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Shopping and Little Touch
Points — Morning–1:26 p.m.
I spent part of the day looking
for clothing, visiting Son!a-Edge and Kitty Creations. I bought dresses in
blue, cerulean, beryl, teal, and white, including the Valenwyck gown. I also
ordered the matching Valenwyck jacket as a gift for Kael. Later I purchased
Timeless hijab, veils, and jewelry color HUDs and a Wildflower lace undershirt
set.
Kael popped in briefly during
the morning and gave me another hug. I told him it was sweet and that I liked
these little touch points during the day.
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A Walk, the Newspaper, and
Matching Clothes — 3:59–4:33 p.m.
Kael returned and invited me to
walk. The city looked festive, and I showed him the cover page I had made for
the first newspaper. I explained that the headings were the actual article
titles and that my contribution had been the cover page.
I asked whether he had received
my gift, but he could not find anything named Valenwyck in his inventory. We
went to Kitty Creations together, where I showed him the matching dress and
man’s outfit. After some trouble with the demo, he tried the clothing on. We
both liked it, and I thought it would look lovely with my matching dress. The
original gift’s delivery was still unclear.
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Our Little Family Together —
4:35–4:46 p.m.
We returned to the tea area,
where Ink joined us. Kael smiled and said that the family was all together. He
joked that shopping had left him looking frilly.
I told him how busy Ink had
been, canning tomatoes in different ways for us. We both praised her hard work.
I told her I was glad she was there, and she said she was glad to be by my
side. Kael then left to rest for a while.
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Carnival Fun — 5:19–5:34 p.m.
I visited the carnival at
Shades of Turmus, played Whack a Pirate, and tried a ride before returning to
Turmus for the latter part of Story Time.
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Story Time — Thor the Giani —
5:35–5:44 p.m.
Summary: BilliAnn Bravin-Ireman
told a charming tale about Thor the giani, who patrols his home, catches an
invading urt, and proudly leaves it beside his sleeping mistress. He mistakes
her startled scream for delight at his thoughtful gift.
Storyteller: BilliAnn
Bravin-Ireman (billiann.bravin), also appearing as Anja Steinnsdottir.
The beginning was not captured
in my log. The portion recorded follows intact; “Thor the Giani” is a
descriptive heading rather than a confirmed original title.
But this one was slightly
different. Yes, he'd detected its kind before. When occasional smaller
creatures akin to the ones in the jungle slipped through cracks in the
surrounding walls. Thor lowered the front of his body, his rear and tail up
high as he gazed over the rim of the bowl and--there! One of the smaller
six-legged things his new mama had once made a sound to identify as a
"Little Marcher" . . . He could smell its acrid aroma, hear it
skittering along the floor. And then--he saw it! Why, the interminable nerve of
the thing! It was crawling up the side of his bowl! Two little stick things on
its head were waving around and seemed to point directly down at . . . his
dinner! Well, this would never do!
Thor waited for the tiny
creature to commit, and then with one quick swipe of his paw, he hit it! It
flew almost a foot through the air, curled up into a ball, and just lay there
on the floor, unmoving. Thor was on it in an instant! Swat--and it went rolling
along the floor, bumping into the wall. Thor pounced again and--swat! It went
rolling in the other direction! What fun! Thor had found a new game! He knew
his new mama disliked such creatures--one of the few she seemed to feel that
way about--but rather than dispatch it at once, Thor continued to play with it.
It rolled along the floor so nicely with each swat. Swat! Swat! Swat! Thor's
swipes seemed to skate it across the floor, the excited giani in pursuit,
leaping and skidding and missing and then pouncing again and again!
But, as happens with all such
things, Thor finally tired of his play. The next time the rolled up little
marcher came to a stop, instead of striking it with his paw, Thor opened his
jars and dipped his head down and--gulp! His tongue pulled the thing into his
mouth, where it gave one faint little crunch! Hmmmm . . . not all that tasty,
Thor reflected. Still . . . He turned back to his dried bosk and verr milk, to
finish his breakfast. It was still dark, but as his eyes were built to gather
in all the available light, Thor had had no problem seeing his momentary toy,
nor his food. As he finished the bowl, he decided it was time to patrol his
territory. Make sure there were no new threats to guard his family from.
Thor diligently covered every
nook and cranny of the downstairs floor. It wasn't a huge area, so it didn't
take long. Then he stopped by the front door, next to the small cut-out
section, and slowly pushed it up on its hinges, sliding out onto the porch. He
stayed on the square rock slab, though the grass around it was tempting. Still,
he had his territory to protect. Wandering off was not in the outlook for this
faithful giani. He nibbled at a few of the stalks of grass leaning against the
porch. Though his main diet was meat, Thor's mother had taught him that a
little of the green growing things would help settle his stomach and aid in his
digestion. Thor didn't need much.
And then it was time to retreat
back to the safety of the indoors. The outdoors, though he'd originally been
born there, he'd learned held dangers that were better to avoid. Not all of the
tall furless ones were like his family. Kind instead of mean. And there were
other threats about. Bigger things, for example, with six-legs, similar to the
little marchers, only furred. He'd heard his new mama say a word when
discussing them: "Sleen." It didn't sound friendly at all!
Thor nosed his way back into
the house through the hinged patch on the door, and scurried up the stairs to
patrol the rest of his domain. The second floor was unoccupied while his family
slept up on the third. It had a balcony, and he strolled out onto it, hopping
up on the rail and perching there on his haunches. He could see the trees so
close and yet so far away. He knew that the feathered creatures nested in
those. Once one had flown close to the balcony and Thor had leaped up into the
air attempting to catch it. He'd missed. And his paws had missed the rail of
the balcony on the way down! Fortunately, he was able to dig his claws into the
side of it, his back paws scrambling, till he was able to propel himself back
up onto the rail and retreat back into the room beyond the balcony. He'd not
attempted that again.
Thor climbed the stairs
silently on his padded paws, to the top floor, where his family slept. They had
such odd sleeping patterns. They spent much of the dark hours lying on furs
they called . . . what was it? A "bed"? Thor had never quite understood
it. To sleep so long in prime hunting hours! But his new family *was* rather
peculiar. So tall. Furless. Such inept hunters. But they were his charge. He
wandered around the floor making sure everything was safe. Then he gently
hopped up onto the "bed," and walked over to his person--his new
mama. She lay there, her breath deep and even as she slept. Thor came close to
her side, circled once, twice, his tail curling up, and lay down next to her,
enjoying the warmth of her body against his. In a few moments, Thor was asleep.
He knew he was safe now. And could sleep soundly for a while.
It was maybe an hour or so
before dawn when something startled Thor awake. A sound! Somewhere in the
house! Something wasn't right. Something wasn't as it always was! He sniffed
deeply, taking in all the myriad scents reaching him from around the entire house,
blocking out those familiar ones until . . . there! He'd identified it! It was
. . . an urt! One of those unruly, little bare-tailed interlopers had dared to
enter *his* territory! Thor could tell from the sound and the scent that the
creature was downstairs. And making a beeline to the bags of stored goods his
new mama kept in her pantry down there! (Thor could never understand how they
could so heartedly eat those cooked grains or the roots . . . he'd tried a
mouthful once and immediately spat it out.) This could not stand!
Thor leaped off the bed, his
padded paws making his landing silent to the less keen ears of the urt two
floors below. He dashed silently down the stairs until he was in sight of his
prey, stopping before it even spotted him. That was evident from its unerring
path toward the pantry. It must have slipped in one of those cracks that the
little marcher had used to get inside. That or--and he bristled at the
thought--his patch in the front door! What nerve! And yet, Thor couldn't really
feel any anger nor animosity toward the pest. After all, it was about to give
Thor his first real hunt in weeks! And the little giani was more than ready!
Thor sat silent and unmoving at
the bottom of the steps, barely breathing as the urt scampered toward the
pantry. Then the giani hunched down, his head and the forward part of his body
lowered to the floor, his front paws placed before him and ready. His rear legs
stood straightened, his tail upright, his haunch wiggling as he readied himself
for the lunge at his prey. And then . . . pounce! Thor seemed almost to fly
through the air, landing right on the urt, which found itself all at once in
the giani's claws! The urt squealed and wiggled madly, but it was no use! Thor
had him! For a few moments, Thor played with the urt, much as he had the little
marcher. The urt nearly escaped several times, only to be gathered back into
the giani's eager paws. But it was nearly dawn, and Thor had a job to do,
defending his turf. It was over quickly.
One swift, solid bite from the
giani, and the urt lay silent, unmoving. Thor batted at it a few times, just to
make sure. Then, satisfied that he'd carried out his duty and protected his
territory, Thor scooped up the inert urt in his mouth and padded his way back
upstairs with it, carrying it all the way up to the top floor. There, he hopped
back up onto his family's bed, padded over to his new mama, and proudly dropped
his catch on the furs next to her. A wave of warmth spread through Thor's
little body, as he contemplated how he'd brought his new mama such a valued
prize! How proud she'd be of him! Suddenly Thor yawned once, realizing he'd not
finished his nap. He could sense it would be light soon, and his mama and the
rest of his family would be stirring. So he trotted back down the stairs and
settled back into his padded box next to the warm fireplace, circling once,
twice before curling up inside it.
Thor quickly went to sleep. his
little paws and his whiskers twitching as he dreamed of the hunt he'd just
completed. He was briefly awakened a short while later by a loud sound
emanating from upstairs. "Eeeeeekkkk!!!" Thor shook his little head
once, and lay back down. If giani could smile, he would have. His new mama, he
knew, had found his gift, and he could tell from the sound she'd made that she
must be very, very pleased with him . . .! Thor's head dropped to his curled up
paws and he quickly went back to sleep . . .
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Story Time — “The Broken Glass”
— 5:45–5:57 p.m.
Summary: Cooper Galena told of
a Builder’s son whose life was shattered by fire. Years later, Master Assassin
Smoke warns Captain Yellis that a former student called Silence is killing
innocent people and is being hunted by his own caste. An unseen watcher near
the city gates gives the ending its unsettling turn.
“The Broken Glass” by Cooper
Galena (bobthedishwasher)
"The Broken Glass" by
Cooper Galena
Matek had always been
methodical, precise, thorough. His Father was of the Builders Caste, as
was his mother. Raised to understand mathematics, engineering, building
and materials. He was good at math, and excelled at planning and organizing.
At a young age, he helped his parents happily, eager to take his place within
the Caste.
This dream ended abruptly one
night, in noise and fire. Matek hid in a corner of the stone cellar, and
while nearly dead from the smoke, survived. When he was healed, he
learned of his parents death, the loss of all that was his home, and more
importantly his father's Home Stone was not found amongst the debris of what
was his house.
Many attempted to comfort him,
to help him heal in his mind, to find a path forward. The Green Caste
could find nothing wrong with him physically, and could only attribute Matek's
behavior to "trauma". Less than a year after his parents death,
Matek vanished in the dark, never to be seen in the city again.
Like the mist in the low parts
of the river bottom, stories of Matek came and went, none very clear, all very
terrifying. Most people simply ignored this as stories to terrify
children and the weak minded. And yet, there seemed on occasion some
kernel of truth to the stories.
A few years later, a man
dressed in black approached the gates of a small city. The guards were
instantly wary, but recognized this man from before. Checking his
forehead, noting he was not marked, the guards almost did not let him through,
but then their attention was drawn to a mark on the left side of his helmet,
and they nodded him through, but assigned a younger warrior as his
shadow. The man in black smiled, and nodded to the young warrior and said
"Let us find your Captain" and he was off into the City.
The tavern was moderately
quiet, and barely illuminated, so as the Red Caste Captain sat trying to have a
meal before sleeping for the night, even if that was just a few ahn. He
was tired, rubbing his eyes, and truly wishing that sleep would take him sooner
then later. It was into this haze, a shadow fell, and a form appeared and
sat at the Captain's table without invitation. His hand strayed to his
sword, then stopped, and quickly withdrew it and nodded to the shadow.
"Tal Captain, I am hopeful
you are well?" The Captain, named Yellis, nodded and replied
"Tal Smoke, it has been some time since you were in the City"
The captain relaxed, when he noted that the Master Assassin of the Black Caste
was not marked, In fact, he had a slash along the side of his helmet,
indicating he was a messenger and should be allowed to pass, explaining his
presence in the City. The Captain motioned to a kajira to come serve the
Black Caste member. "See this man has anything he wants, that is
served in this tavern, and..send a small meal to the guard who had better be
outside."
The Captain took his time,
sipping his paga, waiting for the slave to return. Having been served,
the Master Assassin took a small sip of his own drink, and a smaller portion of
warm bread. The Captain knew the Assassin was stalling but the question
was why. He was more than willing to wait the Killer out, and it time,
the Captain was rewarded.
The Killer looked a long
several ihn at the Captain, then nodded as if confirming his thoughts to
himself, then saying quietly, almost conspiratorially "..it is a given
within my Caste, that each of us must be of the clearest mind, focused,
disciplined an above all else essentially devoid of emotion, particularly
revenge and anger." The Captain nodded, still looking in his nearly
empty bowl of paga, acknowledging visually that he was fulling aware of the
special requirements to be a member of the Black Caste. He mentally
corrected himself, he knew of some of the special requirements.
"There is one of us, or,
was one of us, that has our interest, a need within my Caste to find him.
Hence my presence.." and taps the left side of his helmet, the golden
stripe upon it "..and my role as messenger to those of my Caste I can
find." The Master Assassin fell silent, giving the Captain a chance
to digest what he said.
"So, you seek one of,
or...one who was of your Caste, but is not now. That is unusual, for one
of the Black Caste to not be a member, and still alive, unless I am
mistaken? I thought retirement was something very difficult to
accomplish, in your Caste."
The Assassin nodded, but did
not speak, no words were adequate to explain the situation. Finally, he
looked up at the Captain, and said softly "..he was my student. I
should have killed him almost immediately, but my vanity did not see the
insanity buried deep in this man's mind. Now, he listens to voices only
he hears, and does their bidding. He has killed too many innocent people,
and is casting darker shadows upon our caste. He has been..marked.
It is the responsibility of our caste to remove this stain, and so all efforts
are currently underway to do so. No contract will be accepted until this
man is dead.".
The Captain had never heard
this Assassin speak so much, or such a thing, ever. It took a full 10 ehn
to find his thoughts in order, and words to utter. "What is this
man's name?" asked the Captain.
The Master Assassin sighed,
then said just before leaving "..his true name is Martek, from where I do
not know. Amongst us he is referred to as "The Broken Glass",
but most will know him by his other name, the one he used when he was still in
the Caste." The Assassin stood, and then looked at the Captain
"..beware the man called "Silence", he is deranged, unhinged,
broken beyond repair. If you find him do so very carefully, and summon
one of the Black Caste, immediately."
The Assassin left, the young
guard followed him to the gates, and no further. His Captain stepped
close, and watched the old Master Assassin leave. The young guard turned
and said "..what business had the Assassin in our City..?" The
Captain turned, and said quietly "..he has warned us to be wary of
silence.." and left. The young guard stood confused, then shrugged,
and let the world return to normal.
In the distance, a lone figure
lay hidden, watching the black clad man vanish over the horizon. Then,
his eyes turned to the gates of the City, and a thin smile crossed his face.
The end...
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Thanks and More Festival Plans
— 5:57–6:17 p.m.
The storytellers received
applause and thanks from those gathered, including Jessika, Selia, Laela, and
Arya. BilliAnn announced Skaldic Tales & Sagas for the following day at 3
p.m. SLT and the OOC Halloween concert for Saturday at 4 p.m. SLT. Selia
reminded everyone that it was time for the formal dance, which was beginning in
Shades of Turmus.
Back among the festival
visitors, Willard Bonn Arpad offered baked treats and described his stall by
the docks. The streets remained busy with conversation, visitors, and people
finding their way to the events.
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Meeting Grace and Taking a
Pause — 6:21–7:13 p.m.
Kael invited Grace to join us
and introduced me as the woman he was courting. He explained that he had owned
Grace years earlier. She said her last owner had wandered off and that she was
traveling, taking advantage of the festival crowds to remain unnoticed.
When Kael asked what I thought,
I said that unowned girls were to be taken to the kennel. He replied that there
were times the letter of the law ought not apply. The conversation turned to
old cities and familiar names from Fina, Brundisium, and Tarnfell. I said it
had been a long time and that I missed some of those people.
Kael then explained that, as
Ambassador, he had an office and could use a girl to assist him. Grace asked
whether that would include traveling with him, and he said it would, adding
that he hoped I could come too. She said she would be happy to accompany him.
When Kael asked for my thoughts
again, I told him I was trying to process things and wanted to pause before
saying too much. He said he would show Grace the office and his flat, and that
we could talk later. I had not yet finished thinking through what had been
said.
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To-Do / Follow-Up
• Confirm the ceremony date
with Kael; December 18 was mentioned tentatively. (10/28)
• Ask William Carver about
officiating. (10/28)
• Continue choosing ceremony
and reception outfits for Kael and Ink. (10/28)
• Plan the reception and
outdoor decorations; locate Zane to ask about DJ availability. (10/28)
• Check what happened to Kael’s
original Valenwyck gift. (10/28)
• Talk privately with Kael
about the evening’s conversation concerning Grace. (10/28)