Blood from Stone [AU]

[Tethras Clan]

"You're tired and seem kind of sad. So... I wanted to say something nice to make you feel better. I'll admit it was kind of vague, but it fit with what I was saying about the tea. Tea isn't clever or strong or brave or loyal or even pretty. Calling you thirst-quenching or medicinal or the like wouldn't make a lot of sense either, though I suppose tasty might have worked? But I'm not sure about that, so it'd just be a guess," Merrill explains, after a fashion. "So I just went with it. Good, I mean. I went with 'good.' Because you both are."

[Coquette Blacquin]

"Oh," she says quietly, and why does she look sadder? "Thank you. Forgive me, I'm still unused to compliments. Shall we play cards?"

[Tethras Clan]

Merrill reaches over to lightly pat Cindy's hand. "I'd like that," she agrees softly, then glances down. "Glim, could you go to the library and tell them I won't be able to come today?" The faerie dragon nods, then stretches up to press her forehead against the elf's cheek. "You can stay a bit if you want and pl- teach the little ones," she adds, getting a disinterested huff that doesn't do much to hide the pleased whirl of Glimmerwing's eye color. 

[Carver Amell]

As it turns out, Jass was surprisingly fond of Miki. Something about the catfolk's swagger and bravado put the merikos in mind of a young wolf cub, practicing hunting without truly being skilled. This was good; Carver had been aware that there were two mindsets about Miki, and he worried Jass might be of the other mind, looking on Carver's friend with disdain.

Still, Carver liked to see his friends getting along. And so, when Jun and Miki invited them to play ball, Carver readily agreed. There was a hoop hung on Jun's building, and they could chalk in the other lines as needed. Basket-ball being a popular game in the city but rarely so much in Raplin's Oak, where foot-ball games were more popular, Carver had spent the evening before explaining the basic rules to his friend, using cutlery at the table to indicate players, hoops, and the ball.

Miki meets them at the edge of Cattown; Carver's known around here, but Jass isn't, so having a furred escort seems prudent. When they get to Jun's place, however, the boy isn't waiting out front. Hesitantly, Miki leads the way into the former warehouse, down the hall, up the steps, onto the creaky, rickety floor, and to the cheap plywood door, where he knocks, glancing at Jass.

There is silence for a long moment. Then, Jun comes to the door. Cats with real pale fur like Jun struggle often to keep clean, but Jun usually manages it well. Today, however, his fur is stained a little, as though he hasn't been grooming well, and the tracks of tears stain his pale face, not even wiped away. He must have been weeping long and hard for stains to appear. 

"Are... are you alright?" asks Carver, hesitantly. "Did... something happen?"

Juniper stares at him dully, as if he's forgotten what they were meant to be doing. Then he shakes his head, taking a deep breath. "I'm glad you're here. Please, someone.. someone should tell Don, and I have to report to the Keeper. There... There's been a.. my father is dead."

[Jassinth]

Jassinth has picked up the rules for basket-ball fairly well. It's not the most complicated game after all. Two teams of even numbers, a thirty by fifty foot space with a basket hung waist high on one end and a fist sized ball filled with sand or something similar. The only part that baffles Jass still is which color is worth what points and what the legal order for progressing colors is- only in Nyra would a simple street game require at least one player on each team need to have access to spells, even if it's just a cantrip. Still, he'd been rather excited to try it out, figuring he'd just follow Carver's lead until he picks it up. 

Cattown had been... something of a shock, though only a modest one. There really isn't a poor and rich division in Raplin's Oak. Sure, some of the villagers are able to afford finer clothes, have actual silverware for special occasions and the like, but the village just isn't big enough to have such a sharp division. So seeing Cattown, a clearly more run-down and less cared for area in the middle of such a wondrous city as Nyra was almost as baffling as disquieting. To his credit, it's not the poor quality of things that bothers him the most, but the disrepair and filth. In his life, if something is dirty, you clean it. If it's broken, you fix it. If you can't, you do or trade something you can do to someone that can. And with the forest, so very rich in resources, nearby, everyone has something. Still, he tries to understand, to not judge. 

At Juniper's empty voiced words, he sucks in a sharp breath. "I- I can stay with you, let them... get who you need," Jass offers quietly.

[Carver Amell]

"No, I... I have to tell the Keeper," says Jun, his voice quivering.

Carver touches Jass' arm gently. "We can't go with him into the temple. It's not for outsiders. So... Miki, go with him? We'll tell Don, then we can get the Guar--"

"No," hisses Miki. "No guard. Keeper decides -- we handle it ourselves."

Carver covers his face with his hand briefly, then sighs. "Right. Sure. Okay. No guards. What.. what happened?"

Jun swallows, hard, his tail twitching. "I.. I don't know, he just... he didn't wake up this morning."

[Jassinth]

"I have... I have some medical training, I can... inspect him if..." Jass offers a wan smile.

[GamesMaster]

Jun glances to Miki; Miki nods, indicating Carver with an incline of his head as he says something softly in Catfolk. Jun nods, then, stepping aside. "He's... he's back here." 

Jun leads the group through the small flat, to the back area, the single bedroom. It's a good sign that the pair of them were able to live alone in this place; the whole flat is smaller than Varric's parlor, but it's divided into living and common spaces, and that means you could fit two families in here if you had to. Either they're being shunned, or their roommates had moved to the newest building Don had purchased to alleviate overcrowding. The fact that both were possible meant Cattown was improving.

There are two pallets on the floor in the bedroom, both made of straw. One is empty; the other holds a dead body, a pale catfolk clearly related to Jun. There is a small altar in the corner, with a white-furred cat statue on it, where incense can be burned; there is a simple bookshelf with clothing folded on it. That's all. 

Jass's examination quickly reveals no sign of foul play, nothing to indicate that this was a murder. Carver's quick examination of the bed area reveals a few empty vials, however. Either he poisoned himself with an unusually gentle poison, or this was a drug overdose, or he died of natural causes and the vials are unrelated. 

"I... he didn't do drugs. We don't allow drugs here, not in the whole building," argues Jun. "I don't... I don't know what was in the vials, but not that. Never that."

[Jassinth]

"Medicine perhaps?" Jass offers kindly. "Perhaps he was ill and hiding it? I have know more than a few that would do so, for various reasons. Parents often wish to protect their young, even when they should not."

[GamesMaster]

"Per.. perhaps," says Jun slowly. "I... he seemed... not quite himself lately. Somber. I assumed it was because of Rose, her birthday, but... but maybe he was ill."

[Jassinth]

"Do you have an herbalist or alchemist?" Jass asks in part suggestion.

[GamesMaster]

"I... the... the Keeper will know what to do." Jun takes a shaky breath. "We should let him know."

[Jassinth]

"Right, of course. The clergy is important to- yes," Jass says with a wince. "If you... if you want to... pray or... I can wait by the door to let people in when they arrive," he offers awkwardly.

[GamesMaster]

"Thank you," he whispers. "Miki? Carver?"

Miki nods. "I'll get the Keeper."

"And I'll tell Don. I'm... i'm sorry for your loss." So saying, Carver turns toward the door, Miki a step behind him.

[Jassinth]

Not sure what the right thing to do in this culture is, the ranger simply bows low and murmurs, "may his ever after hunt be glorious," before slipping to the front room to wait patiently for people to arrive.