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Amilar Ereyo	For almost two weeks, Rishi hasn't heard from Ereyo. During one of their last study sessions in the library, the Dragon-Blooded mentioned something about "family business". But still, it might have been worrying. Finally, a delicate bird with feathers of unmelting ice arrives to speak to Rishi in her friend's voice. Almost half of the five minutes of speech permitted to the Infallible Messenger were taken up by Ereyo apologizing profusely for her silence, citing a visit to her family and her home, along with a lot of paperwork and social gatherings to deal with. Then, she got to the point: A meeting with Rishi, at her temple, as soon as possible. There are news regarding Anathema, and she needs help. After receiving Rishi's answer, Ereyo arrives at the temple's doorsteps not only on time, but a few minutes early. She has her guards with her, but leaves them outside before taking a deep breath and stepping into the now familiar halls. Immediately, she looks around to see if she can spot her friend.
Rishi	Rishi is waiting for her friend at the pool, wearing a bib-like silk top that barely restrains her ample chest and tight knee-length silk pants that look like they should be impossible to fit over her paw-like feet. Most people would likely think she was trying to seduce them, but Ereyo should probably be aware by now that Rishi simply enjoys dressing that way. She jumps to said feet when Ereyo arrives, her wings fluttering to keep her stable and face drawn in worry. Her melodious voice is similarly full of concern. "Is everything being alright? You sounded most concered in your message?" Her arms are held out, if Ereyo wants a hug or something.
Amilar Ereyo	Ereyo offers a warm smile in greeting, but declines the hug for now. Like most times, she has donned her casual uniform, complimented by the beautifully crafted sheath of her daiklave. There's also the ever-present shoulder bag, and indeed, she immediately reaches for it, pulling something out from beneath the flap - a small, simple bag. Her smile fades quickly, replaced by concern. "No. In fact, nothing is all right. I've barely slept the last few nights-" Indeed, Rishi can tell. The Dragon certainly looks the part. And yet, for some unfathomable reason, she seems wide awake. Words spill out of her at a feverish pace. "I will show you what's in here in a moment. But first - can we sit down, please?" After indicating one of the benches near the fountain, Ereyo already starts walking, but stays oriented towards Rishi and doesn't stop talking. "Do you remember what I told you, about the two Anathema I've encountered during my travels in the Hundred Kingdoms? The giant who I believe was a one of the Sun-cursed, and the Lunar necromancer? This is about them... and so much more. I need to tell someone, and you're the only one I know who won't judge me. I feel like I'm finally about to go insane." Here, she shuts up for a few moments at least and utters a small, desperate laugh.
Rishi	Rishi gracefully takes a seat next to her friend, a slight worry line between her eyes marring her otherwise perfect face. "Ereyo, we're being friends. Of course you can be telling me any of the things. Whatever is doing the going on, we will be doing the figuring of it together. You are not being the mad." She reaches out to take Ereyo's hand, her body and voice radiating calm compassion and empathy to a degree that it almost feels like she's sucking the tension out of Ereyo, leaving behind a feeling of peace.
Amilar Ereyo	Rishi might have used more than just her words and body language here, and the effects are immediately apparent: Not only does the Dragon-Blooded stop fidgeting long enough to permit Rishi to take her hand - the nervous waterfall of words spilling out of her mouth also ceases. For a long moment, Ereyo simply stares at her friend in awe, then blinks a few times. A tender smile briefly lights up her face, and she takes a deep breath. "Thank you", she breathes, now finally leaning in to hug Rishi. "There's so many things I don't understand, and it drives me up the wall. I will show you in a moment", she mutters. "How have you been?"
Rishi	Rishi's hug is a warm and comforting embrace, somehow restoring Ereyo's will to go on and the reserves of her ability to cope that the last several sleepless nights have deprived her of. Rishi's sweet voice is low and soothing, "I have been doing the fine, doing some of the training. Nothing that is being more important than doing the helping of the friend." She just holds and comforts Ereyo, providing compassion and warmth and, above all, safety for a timeless moment. Once Ereyo finally relaxes, Rishi lets her go. "So, what is being the thing that has been doing the bothering of you?"
Amilar Ereyo	With such a considerable amount of tension still left in Ereyo, it takes a while to draw it all out. She savors the embrace, for once reluctant to let go at all. Rishi's can smell the lightning receding, feel the winds calming down, and the tension finally leaving Ereyo's body. After that, the Dragon no longer looks like she's on the brink of a nervous breakdown. A few more deep breaths, and she seems ready to tell Rishi what's on her mind. "So. That Solar, the Titan Breaker - the one who is close to Fudou in size? He sent me a message, pretending to be the 'Exigent of Strength', which, well... I assumed that The Mountain wanted to talk to me for some reason." Her brow furrows at the memory of how she fell for that. "It happened right before I had to leave to see my family, so I couldn't really call on you sooner." Her eyes, mostly their natural violet now, but tinged with gray at the rim, return to the small pouch she had produced from her bag earlier. "Turns out he didn't try to lure me into a deadly trap. Instead, he gave me... this." A quick, sharp tap on the pouch. "According to his words, he had been hired as a messenger to give it to me. Imagine that!" Ereyo shakes her head, then opens the pouch and takes out the contents, presenting them to Rishi: There's a letter, neatly folded so it can fit inside easily, and below it, another, much larger and heavier item - a rosary necklace with an idealized depiction of a person... Rishi might recognize them as the Immaculate Dragon Mela. The necklace itself seems to be made of jade. It's certainly a work of art, and a priceless one at that. "Please read the letter", Ereyo tells Rishi, handing the paper over to her.
Rishi	Rishi slowly lets go, then takes the letter. Her perfect eyebrows go up and further up as she reads it. "....This is being ...most interesting. What are you doing the thinking of it? Do you think it is being the cursed lure or the something? Or that it is being the genuine gift?"
Amilar Ereyo	Ereyo watches with nervous anticipation as Rishi reads, bobbing her good leg up and down. At least Rishi now knows her well enough to realize that this is just a way of relieving tension, not a warning sign of imminent breakdown. "That's what I thought at first. I took more than a few good, long looks at the Essence of these items. No enchantments or curses that I could detect, and I ~really~ did everything I could to find any." With an exasperated sigh, she picks up the rosary, letting the beads smoothly glide through her hands. "Both of your assessments are correct: It could absolutely be a trap, and it's extremely interesting. Do you know what I mean?" She gives the letter a quick tap, indicating the words "silver monster". "If this necklace truly is a family heirloom, and this person has been raised under the Immaculate teachings, then it makes perfect sense for him to struggle with the reality of his condition. And it seems he's not the only one. The Solar who delivered this to me - he... was very... direct about my reaction to his identity as an Anathema. In fact, he chided me for it. He told my I was, and I quote, 'mindlessly obeying your fears and doctrine'. I could swear he looked... disappointed? Not angry. Well, maybe a bit. But mostly sad." After that long monologue, Ereyo leans back with a heavy sighs and blinks at Rishi. "What do you think? Could this really be a trap? An attempt to lure a young sorcerer-engineer to her doom? One who isn't even ~that~ valuable or important in the larger scale of things? Why would they go to such lengths? Is this Demon Dragon Tyrant the creature tormenting me in my dreams, or not connected to them at all? Riddles upon riddles upon riddles..."
Rishi	Rishi ...blinks. Several odd expressions pass over her face...but what she actually says is just "You are being quite an important person, Ereyo. Do not be doing the dismissing of yourself like that." She studies the letter a bit more, despite the text of it already being engraved in her memory. "...I ...am not doing the thinking that this letter is being from the monster that is doing the haunting of your dreams. That was being the ...well, it was not doing the looking like the dragon." She pauses a minute, looking at the note and necklace, then says, in a smaller, more hesitant, voice, "...what... what would you be the doing if the note is being the most genuine?"
Amilar Ereyo	Thankfully, Ereyo doesn't seem to notice whatever is going on with Rishi - or maybe she attributes it to the strangeness of the letter and, indeed, the entire Anathema situation. In any case, she hesitates for a while in response to that question, frowning at the writing, until she finally has found the right words to give voice to her thoughts. "That's exactly why I couldn't sleep well after the encounter with the Solar... with Volken. I'm used to the horror of my nightmares by now - they are nothing new, at least. This..." She furiously waves the letter around. "...raises too many uncomfortable questions. I can practically feel it unfolding in my mind." Her voice drops to a mere whisper. "Could I really have been blinded to the truth, like Volken claims? Rishi, I pride myself on innovation and the seeking of knowledge. Now, it's here - an opportunity to know more, to seek the truth, to gain understanding." Her gaze drifts aimlessly toward the ceiling before settling on Rishi. "If lightning strikes, am I supposed to cower before the storm and seek shelter, or to follow its branches and extrapolate the meaning behind its complex pattern? That's what the Air Dragon's gift brings - clarity of mind. To see the big picture, not the minute details." Her good leg starts bobbing again, furiously now. Wind whips into Rishi's face, trying it's best to throw the other Exalt's hair into disarray as well. But Ereyo's eyes don't change to the dark of storm clouds. Her violet irises shift towards an even brighter, more vibrant hue. "I think... I would have to talk to him to find the truth. The Lunar, I mean. But I fear I can't do it on my own... That didn't go so well last time, did it."
Rishi	Rishi ...blinks. Again. A small nervous giggle bubbles up, before she clears her throat and speaks. "And, so, you are doing the wanting of me to be doing the coming with you to the meeting, yes? As your protector?" She squelches another nervous giggle, then, tilts her head, her eyes closed, as she thinks. After a short time, she opens her eyes then says "Yes, I will do the accompanying of you on this, but...I should like you to be doing the favor for me. And for you." She hesitates, then says "A friend of mine is doing the having of the ancient library, with books that should be the dust, save for the ancient sorcery doing the keeping of them intact. So...they cannot be the removed and, while I am having the permission to do the visiting of the library, I am not being the allowed to be 'bringing the friend over' and, while I would do the asking, they are not having much the positive impression of the Lookshy." Rishi raises a hand to forstall objections. "But, you did the getting me access to the library of the school. And I am not thinking that the owner of this library is doing the objecting to the others finding out the information in the library, just to the possibility of the people doing the damage to the books." She looks at Ereyo. "So, if you could be getting me the artifact to be doing the copying of the texts quickly, I could be doing the making the copies of the books." She headtilts again. "I am supposing I could just be doing the copying of them by the hand, but I am not being such the fast at that. And...I am doing the thinking that it would be most of the good to be doing the recording of the provenance in this the case. Can you be doing the borrowing of the something like that, perhaps?"
Amilar Ereyo	While Rishi talks, Ereyo, now forced to pay attention, fidgets listlessly. This time, she definitely appears to take note of Rihsi's response - it's virtually impossible to ignore the giggling, and in response, the Lookshyan watches her friend closely, concern summoning a frown to her brow again. Still, she listens. The more mention of a library this difficult to access, promising hidden knowledge, is enough to make her sit up straighter. The longer Rishi talks, the more visible Ereyo's excitement. "A library with books so old that they are only preserved by sorcery... and their keeper doesn't permit you to bring me because of who I am? You ~do~ realize how ominous that sounds, right?" After inquisitively staring at Rishi for a few moments, the Air aspect suddenly beams at her. "But... you know, I don't care. If the information in that library can help prepare me - us - for such an encounter, and you would really accompany me if I do this for you, then I will try my very best to make it work." Her eyes drift in and out of focus as she begins to think it through. "I might be able to acquire something for this task, yes. Given enough time, I could build it myself... but I don't think we should let this matter rest for so long. The author of that letter is certainly expecting some kind of answer." While she speaks, she neatly tucks both letter and necklace back into the pouch.
Rishi	"Not everyone is doing the liking of the Lookshy, even in these Lands of the Scavengers, yes? And, if you were doing the finding of this place, would not your first impulse be to do the contacting of your family to be having the books taken back to the Lookshy library?" Rishi gives her a level look. "But...yes, if you can be getting me the ...crystal of the recording? The brush of the copying? I am being sorry, I am not having much of the interacting with the artifacts, so I am not knowing if you are having any of the things like that."
Amilar Ereyo	"I might", Ereyo admits to Rishi's accusation, smiling awkwardly and looking away. "Let's focus on the task at hand. My gens keeps a vault with artifacts suitable for academic purposes - such as large-scale copying of texts. There are several items that could do the job. I don't know exactly which, and how many, are currently available, but finding out isn't going to be difficult. Of course, I would still have to file in an official request, fill out the paperwork, and return it once we're done. Nothing particularly unusual." After blinking at the ceiling for a bit, she adds: "It should take a few days at most if I depart for Lookshy via Stormwind Rider tomorrow morning. Would that work for you?"
Rishi	Rishi claps her hands, excited now. "This should be most of the wonderful!" Then she headtilts, and says "However, I am not thinking that you are necessarily needing to do the reading of these before the meeting. I am just thinking that they might be giving you ...more of the information that you are wishing to be having." Then Rishi blinks, head tilts, and says "Ah, please be doing the waiting here for the moment." She gets up and hurries off. A short time later she returns with a little cloth satchel, "Here are more of the tea satchets." She gives Eryeo a momentary glare, her eyes awakening Ereyo's nightmares, before her expression softens. "You keep doing the running yourself ragged. You cannot be doing the anything if you are not getting the rest. I know you are doing the having of the nightmares, but that is not being the excuse to not be getting the rest when you are having the medicine to be doing the helping!" She gives the bag to Ereyo. "You need to be getting the good sleep before you are doing any of the long distance traveling. Promise me this."
Amilar Ereyo	For a moment, Ereyo wants to protest, that much is clear. But as soon as she opens her mouth, she simply closes it again - after getting a good look at Rishi's eyes. Without further objection, she accepts the satchel and tucks it into her bag, along with the mysterious necromancer's "gifts" to her. Since Rishi is already standing, the Dragon-Blooded also rises and gives a firm nod. "Fine. I promise." Her shoulders slump in defeat. I want to... get to the bottom of this so much. But you're probably right. I will take care of myself first. Thank you... again. For everything." She smiles at her friend, and after hugging her again, departs with hurried steps. Hopefully to get some sleep!