Welcome to Gaia! ::

Yes indeed, in the short time I've known you, I have seen you be scared and meek, and now you are standing up to demons. I believe that deserves some credit.

:::Cora had to refrain from bellowing a hardy laugh:::

Very different, Maggie. I don't know where to begin. I once believed that I was so lucky to live in my world. No war, no disease, no hunger, no possessions...but at the cost of so many things. The people in my world don't make physical contact, or eat 'food' the way that you do. We don't exchange objects as a sign of affection. Being a law enforcement agent, I am not to show any signs of emotion to anyone, in order to maintain a professional respect....the sciences have even disproved the liklihood of God, so much so that it is now most common to be atheistic....

But I have learned so much...and I have a feeling there is much more to come.

I don't mean to make it sound like such an awful place. The people there love it, they do not know want, it is only in learning of other possibilities that I find the place empty....

So tell me Maggie, what is your world like...?

A son...? That's wonderful...tell me, what is parenting like in your time. It must be very different from my world. Humans in my world do not even reproduce naturally.

*blinks in confusion* Not naturally . . ? But, then how in the name of heaven do ye- *is interrupted by her own disappearance*

"No lassie! It takes more than the mad avatar of a god and a couple hundred rounds to put down this old dog. I'm tough as nails and twice as tenacious. Just has to get home and crawl back to a Nexus for a pep-up."

He notices her restraint and wraps a long arm around her shoulders. He gives her a quick hug (without dropping the small device) and turns to begin unpacking.

"I'm sorry I worried you so lassie, I would have stuck around or come back sooner but I dislike being unprepared. I'm back now though, and you have my sincerest apologies."

The implements coming out of the packs all look dangerous, complicated, and maybe even a bit illegal.

"Hrm, I wouldn't doubt that he's still in there some where. That's what we've got all this for."

He slings the backpack off his shoulder and carefully puls out several small bags of soft black or purple material, probably velvet or silk.

"My magic doesn't work here very well, but Tavin's does. Additionally, the Taint seems to be in full affect on Commissioner Tacitus. Its not exactly like magic, but its close. Like magic, it has its opposites."

He carefully upends one of the bags, spilling figurines of greenest jade softly onto a table.

"Jade naturally absorbs the effects of the Taint. It'll stop it from suffusing the Brink and draw it away from Tacitus. The problem is jade works slowly."

He upends the other bags as well, revealing similar figurines in petrified wood, paper thin molded silk, and pearl.

"These items have similar effects to those of jade, unfortunately, even a large concentration of items need time to work."

He pats the stachel and the gear next to him.

"So I'm prepared for that too."

:::Cora goes and picks up a peice of jade:::

I have never seen a material like this one...it is beautiful. :::She recognized the wood as the matirial the bar was made of...the others were foreign to her as the jade was:::

She looks up at Malazar...where will we fight him? We cannot make him return here. Only the Brink decideds that.

((Jans had to run...he said to finish the thought for him))

:::Cora overheard him say faintly "He will return...like a moth to the flame. I'm going to need more supplies, now that i think about it" The last bit was a wisper...for he faded away:::