Dangerous Curiosity (Sithani)

"Older than my teeth and as old as my tongue. Which is to say, twenty-four." She raises one eyebrow. "And it ill-behooves a druid not to adapt to a changing environment."

His lovely smile is wryly shifting quicksilver. "Twenty-four? Well. Hmm. Let me think. No, I can honestly say that twenty-four years ago--or, I suppose more pertinently, twenty-four-years-and-nine-months ago--I was not acquainted with Sharre Molana and as such it is quite impossible for me to be your father."

"And are you acquainted with her now? I ask not merely to avoid the risk of sharing, but to see what kind of gossip she might be spreading that I haven't heard yet."

Erdan's lips twitch with fresh amusement. "I did warn that a gentleman doesn't kiss and tell," he teases.

And so did Mother when I talked to her about this job. Why must parents be so unhelpful?

Oh shit. Was it him then? It's likely a coincidence, but he would know about the kidnapping and Laerdya might have used him as a messenger - and if so I could question him.

The question is: how to ask without raising suspicion if she's wrong.

"And in that ambiguity lies a world of potential discomfort," she says wryly. "I will admit that, potential extracurricular escapades aside, you're not the worst conversationalist I've encountered, so tell me something about this place. What sort of things do professional mages find interesting?"

Erdan makes a face of languid distress at her, which is quite impressive in the sheer force of delivery. "These days? Nothing good, my dear. You might think that the greatest minds in Brilight would walk undisturbed the esoteric heights of scholarly discovery, but ever since the maiden of the tower was taken all studies have been interrupted. It is vexing on numerous levels, not least because the girl was a sweet child and is dearly missed."

"You mean - " Sithani lowers her voice to a whisper. "Someone kidnapped Laerdya Siannodel's daughter? Knowing she's leading the effort to cure the plague? What happened?"

Erdan gives her a lazy grimace. "It's all veeeery mysterious," he says in a whispered drawl. "Apparently some famous pirate climbed the central tower and hauled her right out of her bedroom. Locks are being installed on all the windows."

"A pirate, eh? Are we sure it wasn't an elopement?" A faint smile appears on Sithani's face. "At that age, if, say, a gorgeous tiefling bard from the wrong side of town - " Sithani winces internally, unsure whether or not she's glad Sunrise can't hear the first thing that came to mind - "climbed to my bedroom I'd have been out like a shot."

He frowns, and it's the first sign of a serious emotion from the man which isn't teasing laughter. "Co-signed, but you didn't know Gwynnestri. She's a very shy, sweet, sheltered girl--and a bit sickly to boot. Always has been, her whole life. All 'round, a good girl who loves her mother and takes her studies seriously. She wouldn't have climbed down a tower with some half-orc pirate, no matter how charming he might be."

Half-orc? That's new. And 'sickly' as in 'scared of catching a chill' or as in 'actually gets sick on the regular and needs medical care'? I guess professional kidnappers would know to keep their meal ticket alive, at least.

"Well, you know what they say about sheltered kids. Get them slumming from an early age and they'll be a bit less swoonable." She shrugs. "Maybe if Laerdya had let the sexy pirate come round for tea and biscuits Gwynnestri would have tired of him."

Erdan's frown deepens into a scowl and he seems about to say something sharp, then relaxes and chuckles ruefully.

"Maybe," he allows, nodding at the woman as being more likely to know the ways of eighteen year old girls than he. "It's hard for me not to think of her as the little blond youngling playing with blocks and dolls just outside my rooms."

"Oh, I'm sure. At your age most of history must blend together." Sithani puts on a charming smile. "Onto happier topics, then. You boasted of knowing the names of several entities from outside angled space, did you not? Might you recognise mine from a description?"

Erdan gives her a wry smile which indicates her little jibe was not misunderstood. "You're half-human," he observes, eyeing her ears meaningfully. "You do not experience time as elves do. For elves like myself and Laerdya, little Gwynnestri was born only a short while ago. Had her father been elvish, she would not even be an adult for another eighty years." He sighs, sorrow creeping into his voice. "As it is, due to her mixed heritage, she'll be lucky to live to be one hundred and eighty. You cannot understand that sorrow, my dear."

On the topic of her patron, he does indeed seem to know it--or something unnameable and unknowable like it, at the very least. In fact, Erdan is willing to affably chat with her about nature and/or nameless eldritch things for hours if she so pleases, or up until she needs to leave to visit the Devil's Own. [If you choose to take advantage of this bounteous well of knowledge, you may add either 1 point of Arcana (because eldritch) or 1 point of Nature (because druid) to your sheet.]

When Sithani has had her fill of Erdan's information, she rises to her feet. "Well, this was all delightful, but I have other concerns and calls on my time. Thank you for your conversation, and kindly do me the favour of never again beginning a conversation with 'Ho'."

"I make no promises, oh-mistress-with-dark-depths-in-her-eyes," he teases back in a sing-song before shooing her off so he can get back to his work.

[Thread Close. You get 50 XP in addition to the +1 Arcana checks.]