Welcome to Gaia! ::

Across the street was where the directions had lead. She still wondered if Isley's price was worth this.

The growl of ally strays accompanied the footfalls and wooden wheels still traversing the stone streets, and the ranger watched the activity with darting eyes under a travel-worn cloak of grey, her sights always circling a return to the same singled out building down the way.

One moment of ill suspicion, one hunch telling of her foolishness in pursuing this rabble over whispered words of power and she would leave she continued to tell herself. She would tell herself that she would return to the road and lie low, locking away Isley's words and this location from her memory and the cult would just remain another fairytale to tuck in with little wiggly children at their bedtimes.

Problem was her mind had already decided naught was right with this idea before she had stepped into this city but yet her boots still had lead the way. The silence within her breast continued to remind her that the autumn nights that Time had left behind had not truly left behind her. With it being the start of a new season of leaffall, bringing almost full roundseason since then, it was time to search out those whom were spoken of that followed the undying singer who stole her heart...

With one last pass back and forth over what remained of the city nightlife, Jay pulled her cloak close and stepped out into the road, passing irrelevant doorways and slumbering windows lit by flickering street lanterns before walking a fair pace to the building her vision had been set on that eve.



((RJ's picked a larger city. Eveningtide. Kiddo, go ahead and pick what kind of building it is and if anyone approaches before she gets there or reaches whatever door she'd have been told to go to.))

Dead wood frame and nails bent were all that the ranger saw upon her approach, hushing the voices that stirred in her head as she stood still, deciding upon what manner in which to enter. As much as she wanted to know who was behind the unadorned walls before they knew her, entrance by stealth, if caught, would lead them to see her as an intruder. Uncaught... well, would do her no good as she would need to come out of hiding eventually.

Her thumb and forefinger rubbed in old habit as she followed what thought would best serve her now and raised the twitchy hand to give two light raps on the door.

Though she itched to do so now, she could always pound on it later.

"If I wanted to lay with a woman, I would have chosen more reputable corners," the ranger answered, hiding her voice no longer as she attempted to judge the respondent's height by the sound. Her weight shifted in accordance of her guess to give her a better stance should she have to move quickly.

"But hanging a dead black bird will buy you nothing but a handful of feathers and a swan's song."

Stoic her face remained as hands waited hanging at her sides beneath the borrowed cloak, listening not only for sound from beyond the door, but from any sort of approach from behind her as well.

Isley had better have been right about this.

- Lodgeing in The Inn where they were left at Roman sits kicked back in a chair balancing it on two legs as he had his eyes close and completely relax.-

"I can't believe she left us again."


"I meant after almost a year of not seeing her and she then appears."

"Just to leave again."

The interior of the building was hardly lit but shadows of furniture covered in white sheets long ago were visible from the light being thrown down the main stairs. It was a grand staircase, taking up the majority of the entrance, and the young man started up it, to where more voices could be heard, indistinct and urgent.

"I dunno. He's kinda old. Been here longer than I've been alive. And of course I'll lead you to him, c'mon, just upstairs."

The youth waited at the top, seemingly impatient.

"You know," he said, "I once, when I was younger, strangled a swan because I wanted to hear its song when it died. They're supposed to sing the most beautiful song you'll ever hear before they die." He frowned. "Didn't hear anything. Have you ever heard a swan song?"

"He wouldn't be your father, by chance? Do you just work for him?" she asked while feathered dames in showy dresses flirted with patrons who joined their games played a ghostly scene in her mind across the shadows and sheets, mimicking its former glory days.

She started to follow the boy as he lead the way, trying to count the voices that were coming from the room above until she was distracted by the boy's words.

"It... it is a beautiful song. But you won't hear such a thing that way," she said, trying not to look surprised. "Did you really get a hold of a swan though?" Jay then asked, eyebrow raised, trying to see if the kid was telling tales now.