[Edel PRP] Unexpected Assistance-More Glass? [Xia Lu+Glyph]

[SkieBorne]

So far so good, he thought as he set the bundle of glass down and nodded at the clinking sound it made. He’d collected a fair amount, but it still didn’t seem like a whole lot either… would it be enough to forge into new vessels when he spoke to the people of Baadris? Just how much did Harmodius need? Forest had come to the Pantheon to ask just that question, having rather sheepishly realized that that piece of information for his current duties was missing. Some help he was, if he brought too little.

Thus, the small collection he’d gathered and stored in his chambers was now spread out before him, the cracked containers lining the half wall that ran alongside the sleeping area and the bucket of glass scraps down on the floor. He’d managed to find a rather large clay urn and had wheeled it to his room to use as a storage container until he was finished – hauling the weight of the glass was no simple task for his host and the urn itself had taken a long while to push and pull up the stairs to this floor.

Satisfied with the current collection, he nudge the sleeping mind of his host awake with a smile, “Malh’reth. Would you mind sketching this out? It’d be easier to show if we don’t have to drag it everywhere.”

Hn? Oh. No problem. You think there’s enough? It was obvious the Aurion was skeptical as he resumed control of his body and withdrew his precious sketch book. Playing fingers over the things before him as he sketched, a realistic drawing soon took shape on the papers, ready to be cast into the air.

No, it’s not done yet, but we need to know just how much we need, after all. So I’m going to go ask Harmodius for clarification. Chances are… we need a lot. Glyph nodded, always amazed at Malh’reth’s abilities to bring what the mind’s eye saw into reality.

“Alright. Let’s go then, I’m done.” Mal responded genially, turning to leave the room. As they exited, the mage trailed longer fingers over the everwood pillars in the entry way and smiled at the texture and life they held. Such curious things… and so wonderful. He’d truly appreciated what Glyph has done in choosing the furnishings. Glass and crystal, open spaces and greenery – much like the home he missed.

Downstairs, Glyph took control of the body once more and approached the throne hoping, hoping to find Harmodius.

[khiarhu]

In the throne room, The Emblem Pillar was holding court with his Lord and Master; rather, he was staying near Creation should the Crown have need of him. In any manner - from a crutch to lean against when the multi-hued god moved from the throne to a listening ear. Whatever was needed, Xia Lu Ling was filled with a quiet pride and joy at being able to provide Him with aid.

A scent came across the room and tickled the sensitive nose of his host; his ears moved forward to capture the sounds being made by whomever was coming forward.

Yu glanced at Creation before rising to his feet and moving down the dais to greet the newcomer; form going from four-footed beast to two-legged humanoid. It was much easier for him to speak like that. "Greetings, Host." The scent of one touched by the gods was strong and sure, else the Dragon King would not have addressed the man so.

[SkieBorne]

Bowing to Creation as he entered the hall, Glyph stopped rather suddenly as Malh'reth lurched in surprise and fear. Before them, a creature walked on all fours then rose to an upright position like a bear would and it set the Aurion's nerves tingling. Such things were the stuff of stories, the predator to his prey. Up until now, the people he'd run into had been recognizable beings... humanoid in shape.... but this, this was new and surprisingly frightening. It had to be some sort of guard to Creation!

"I highly doubt he's going to eat you, Mal." Glyph murmured, bemused as he nodded to Xia Lu as well.

But- Glyph cut the reflexive response off by gesturing at the dragon king, or more precisely, the aura that surrounded him. He didn't need to say anything, thankfully, as Malh'reth finally calmed down and nodded. The Aurion were more skittish around those things that posed obvious threats and even logic sometimes took a moment to sink in.

Inhaling and exhaling with relief, Glyph smiled at the Emblem Pillar, "Greetings my peer. Pardon the intrusion but I come seeking a few answers. He has asked that Judgement and I collect glass vessels capable of holding water but... I'm not sure just how much we need." He chuckled softly, slightly embarassed before he held out a hand in greeting as he continued, "Glyph, Silvim Illustirre, Forest."

[khiarhu]

Oh, his host would have been more than happy to attempt eating Malh'reth - he was a beast with a beast's urges and tendencies: sleep, hunt, rut. Luckily for them all then, that the Dragon King himself was in control now; host having been all but devoured by Xia Lu Ling. Indeed, only the barest traces remained - and that was a concession the King made to the beast's "family" rather than the beast itself.

"Forest." The King breathed the name through his sharp teeth but declined to smile as he shook the proffered hand; that would have been frightening rather than reassuring. "I am Yu the Five Claws, Emblem Pillar to the Crown." He did not give out his name, only titles. His name was held back for the moment; something small and treasured between himself and He Who Fashions All.

"My Lord has requested you fetch all you can, yes?" He didn't wait for any such response as he felt sure of the answer though he had not been in the throne room when the request had been made. "He will be pleased with whatever you are able to gather, Glyph-the-Forest." That Creation was weary, his energies being put towards salving the tortured planes of existence, was something the King knew well. He was the Emblem Pillar, was he not? And such a simple thing could certainly be handled without pressing Him for further answers.

[SkieBorne]

"Ah, Dragon King." Nodding, Glyph smiled as Malh'reth settled back down. A God was a different creature altogether. Thinking back, the god pursed his lips, "Whatever we manage, actually. But there's not very much any more, not with the devastation, and bringing back only meager offerings doesn't feel right."

Turning slightly to cast his gaze around the Throne Room, Glyph sighed, "If I knew where to find pieces that could be spared I would seek those out. The mortals, however, have had enough stripped from them - what little comfort remains, I would prefer to leave untouched. It would be a cruel thing to take the artifacts of better days from them."

[khiarhu]

Yu's thick fur rippled in amusement; though his domain was not Silence, nor had he the...ability to read such as the pale-haired god did, it was very obvious that Glyph - or his host - felt great relief at knowing who he was. "I am sure that He will be pleased by whatever you are able to find." The Dragon King nodded sagely and moved to draw the horned host creature further from his resting Lord.

"Mortals that came here to worship and pay homage to Creation. Ask mortals, give them a choice. There are many that would give yet more of themselves for the greater good." His words carried weight and much thought behind them; this was very true -- the mortals had lost much during the weeks...but they were supplicants before the Throne. Giving to one that would give back in much richer ways. "I understand your reluctance in this matter. If you would like, I will send some of my servants out to help you gather glass vessels. They may be of use to you in this task."

[SkieBorne]

Following Yu, Glyph shook his head, "The mortals I would ask were fleeing their home, chased by demons and comforted by the promise that they could return. And," he paused sighing, "with the sky fallen, they cannot return home. They are stranded here, for good or ill. I'm sure you saw the lotus flowers at the ceremony? They brought nothing but those. The people of Baadris have only the clothing on their backs and the trinkets in their pockets. I will not take more from them I can help it - I already plan on building a forge that they might use to create new vessels from the scraps of the old." Glyph smiled, "I do not intend to leave them out entirely, merely ask only what they can give."

Forest's gaze returned to Yu then, having wandered to take in the Throne Room, recalling the lotuses as he conversed, "Assistance would be much appreciated, Emblem Pillar. You know of some vessels?"

[khiarhu]

"There are, perhaps some surviving pieces at the church or school my followers were hiding in before I brought them round the Pantheon." He frowned a bit, then gave a low, sharp whistle as though calling someone. A few moments after, a naked demoness with scales covering her...assets came clattering in on split hooves; she bowed before Yu and did not raise her eyes to the King.

"Your servant, Lord. Direct and I shall follow." Artimesh was deliciously polite and very appropriate with words despite her inappropriate (to some) nudity. She glanced over at Mal/Glyph with sharp eyes; weighing them...judging them...finding them lacking when stacked up to her Master.

"Artimesh, this is Glyph, Lord of Forest. You will treat his words as my own and assist him in his quest to find glass vessels for Creation. You will need to venture out - talk with Harlan first to see if there is any reason to visit his church or the school. If there is, take the others and fetch any and all you find." Yu nodded at the demoness and the god next to him. "She will aid you now - by herself and with any of mine." The Dragon King reached out with one thickly furred, claw-tipped hand and touched the Aoide lightly; she trembled as though his touch were pure pleasure, the greatest accolade from her Master she could get.

Once more, the Emblem Pillar turned to Forest, muzzle scrunching a bit as he very nearly smiled. "If you wish to go with her, you may. Or you can simply tell her where to bring what she finds. Going out....with the Sky missing as it is, is not easy." He would know.

[SkieBorne]

Glyph listened intently as the other spoke, turning when he whistled to watch the demoness come in. Flashing a smile, and a nod, Glyph returned his attention to the Emblem Pillar, "Thank-you. We will look in the church and school then, as starting points and fan out from there." He nodded once more at the difficulty of moving about without the Sky above, "It is. I will keep that in mind keep the searches short then - I won't abuse your followers."

Glyph smiled as he turned to face Artimesh properly and offered a hand, "I do, however, prefer to see the eyes of those I work with. Greetings Artimesh."

[khiarhu]

"My thanks to you for being so steadfast in your task for Him. My servants will do well with a steady, firm hand to guide them. I feel you will have no problems with them." Yu's thick tail twitched and his eyes took in much of the room; scanning constantly was part of what he did.

"Greetings, Lord Forest." Scales covered the back of the hand she reached out with; returning the unfamiliar gesture as though she had always greeted others in this way. "It will be our pleasure to serve in our Master's stead. Will we be leaving immediately, Lord, or have you further business with my Master?"

[SkieBorne]

His gaze flicked to Jin for a moment before returning to the Aoide's, "I think, perhaps, we should attend to the task at hand and then return for a bit of socializing. A brief meeting like this is not enough of a proper introduction." Glyph nodded once before turning to regard the Emblem Pillar once more, "Many thanks. I'll seek you out for a more proper discourse once I've made arrangements for your charity. It is greatly appreciated."

"Now, Artimesh, where do we start? Harlan yes? Lead the way."

[khiarhu]

The Dragon King bobbed his head a little, tail flicking just a bit. "I look forward to it, Glyph of Forest. I will be at my Lord's side, most likely. If not, Artimesh will show you where I make my berth." With that, he simply watched as his capable servant led the way out of the throne-room proper.

"Harlan will be the best place to start; he will be able to tell if it worth our while to return to the church and school." Artimesh moved rapidly; tail swishing behind her like a flag, a banner. She was steadfast and sure-footed as they made their way through the Pantheon to where Harlan's small group had taken up residence. The older man was sitting with a cup of stale water, speaking in quiet tones to a lovely, waifish girl that nearly bolted when the demoness and godling came striding up. Harlan's face was disfigured, burned horribly along one side - he was as disconcerting to look at as the girl was lovely.

"Lord Glyph, this is Harlan, servant to the Emblem Pillar. The child is Blessed, favored of my Lord as well. Harlan, Blessed...we present Glyph, Lord of Forest. We are to assist him in his task--" She would, after Glyph had gotten a chance to speak via his host in greeting, explain to the mortal just what they needed and why they were asking him first.

It was a very good thing that they did take the time to ask, Harlan was able to let the two know that they would find very few vessels at the church, but that they may have some luck with the school - especially in the science labs.

[SkieBorne]

Glyph followed Artimesh as she lead the way to Harlan and introduced himself upon meeting, expressing gratitude for their help. When the labs were described, Malh'reth blinked from within his corner of their mind and wondered at what a science lab was. They had nothing of the sort where he was from, the term itself a foreign thing. What's a science lab, Glyph?

"You'll see." He replied softly, not wanting to spoil the surprise. The term was familiar to him, at least, but names and purposes changed frequently and it was better to learn before assuming. His attention returned to Harlan then, "Which way is the school? And how soon might we explore it?"

[Syrie]

Artimesh was fine with stepping back to allow the mortals to speak with Glyph through his host. Though she took on any task given her with a stead-fast purpose, she did not particularly relish the invisible fetters put on her actions. She was a demoness, after all; humans had once been her prey of choice...it was only when the Dragon King had bent her to his will that she had ceased to feed upon them.

Harlan brought one scarred hand up to rub his chin thoughtfully. "We can go when you like, Lord Glyph. The school is not overly-distant. If we set out now, going eastward, we could be there in a day or so." Of course ,that depended upon how quickly they were able to travel. When Yu the Five Claw had led the sect to the rotting Pantheon, it had been slow going because they had to practically fight through those yet living along the way. It would be faster going now; probably a journey of only two days at the most - especially if they only took the more mobile of the sect members...and Artimesh.

The demoness cocked her head at the mortals, tail flicking with impatience at all the delays. She stomped one of her cloven hoovles against the ground and shifted her weight from leg to leg and then spoke up, "We should go, quickly. Gather those that are able to move swiftly. We will need things with which to transport the glass found, so be certain we have something of the sort."

Harlan nodded at Artimesh; he was getting used to taking orders from the demoness - she was often the one that took care of things when the Lord Dragon himself was unable to leave his post. "Of course, Lady Artimesh. We will bring a wagon or something with wheels to make the transport more easy for all."

It would only take a short amount of time - perhaps an hour before Artimesh was able to gather the mortals so that they were able to head out towards the school (and it's laboratories).

[SkieBorne]

Glyph nodded as Harlan spoke of leaving soon and Artimesh confirmed it, "I would indeed like to get this done as soon as possible. I do not want to keep you from your lord overlong and there is so little intact glass left... it would be a shame to lose more pieces if only because we were delayed in acquiring it."

He'd stood to the side as the demoness and the mortals had gathered their supplies and people, watching with mild interest. Malh'reth was also silent, though the god knew his host was watching as well, puzzling at what a laboratory might be.

The hour passed swiftly and when they were ready, he fell into step alongside whomever was leading the group. Two days would pass quickly, he hoped.