Genetic Testing

Ossian finds Brennan in a corridor. While Ossian is not winded, there is some sweat on his brow, he has been looking all over the place.

"Brennan." he says.

Hearing his name, Brennan turns. Seeing the sweat, he asks, "What's wrong?"

Ossian shrugs. "Nothing is wrong. I just really wanted to find you. Fiona is prepared to examine Jasmine as soon as possible. So I went looking for you before fetching her. Will you come with us?"

"Depends on where we're going, and for how long," Brennan says. "I offered Brita my help in putting her in touch with Ambrose, after this Robin business is concluded." Stop. Pause. Think. "You don't happen to have a Trump of him, do you? That would be a whole lot easier than the alternatives."

Ossian shakes his head, maybe looking a bit disappointed. "I could paint a sketch in a few days, I think. But given the latest discussion, it might not be wise. If you could get me permission from Random, I would be willing to try.

"Doesn't Brita have one? That surprises me.

"We are going to Fiona's lab. We will be away for a few says, I think. Of course, Brita could always Trump her, I guess?"

"That's what I told Brita, actually-- get permission from the King to paint one of Ambrose. We need to put one in the booth, anyway." Brennan considers for a moment. Brita can use or make a Trump of him. Fiona has one of Brita. They can both get to Amber, which is where they're supposed to meet anyway....

"Let me send a page to Brita, and we'll go, with the understanding that I might get interrupted," he says. Then he collars a page and sends to Brita the message that she should Trump him, or that he might Trump her. And that she should Trump him even if she obtains Random's permission to make a Trump of Ambrose.

Ossian nods. "I will go fetch Jasmine alone. As to not intimidate the mother."

Ossian looks straight at Brennan "I do wonder though. If we find out that she is not mine, I will have to negotiate with Flora. Will you still support me then?

"I do understand if you won't."

"Negotiate," Brennan says, with all the inflection that a lesser man would need air-quotes to impart. "You think Flora will be willing to negotiate over a child she believes is her grandchild? Or is that a euphemism."

"Of course she is not willing to negotiate. Nevertheless, I do think I can convince her on some ways to give the girl a better life. She will be better off with some kind of father. I may not be the best possible choice, though."

"Ossian.... are you aware what you might be asking? If Flora decides to take offense, she has a powerful retort: She can pout until one of her brothers challenges you to a duel of honor over the issue. We both know I'm not going to hang you out to dry in a situation like that. But let's wait until we see what Fiona can tell us. She could say the girl is definitively yours, or definitively Lucas', or definitively neither, or that she can't tell anything useful. We could spend more time trying to figure out how to cover all those possibilities than it would take for Fiona to prune the tree down to something manageable," Brennan says.

Ossian nods "Damn. That's wise. I will try hard not to get into a duel. It would be a farce.

"But Brennan. I was not sure if I could count on you. Will not be for a long time I guess, for that matter. Not your fault, though." Ossian ponders for a second. "Don't try to prove yourself."

"You will not face a duel like that alone," Brennan says again. Then, more gently, "I know what you're asking, and why you have to ask. But you can't get certainty just by asking. Doesn't work that way. You know that. We've barely scratched the surface of, 'You can be certain I won't give you the easy answer, just because it's easy.'"

"Good." Ossian nods "I think we might have the same idea of how things work then.

"Give it a few hundred years." That is probably meant as a joke. "Anything else before I will go get Jasmine?"

Brennan nods to the former as though it might not be a joke, or that much of an exaggeration-- Amberites don't trust easily, and Brennan isn't that far different from his aunts and uncles. He doesn't expect Ossian to be that far different from him, either. All things considered.

To the latter, after a brief thought, he says, "No. I could give you a message for Jasmine, but let's not give the little one more than she can handle to absorb." He smiles, "I am looking forward to meeting her, though."

Ossian furrows his brow for second when Brennan mentions a message, but then grins.

Ossian walks down a corridor with his daughter(?) beside him, entertaining her with a small origami bird that flaps its wings as Ossian pulls on it.

Silhouette drifts around the corner up ahead, reading aloud as she walks - something about harmonics. Under her other arm, she carries a covered basket that smells vaguely of succulent peaches. Her dark eyes flickering up from the text as she notices the pair; a smile reaching her lips. "Ossian." The name rolls of her tongue like silk. Her stare lingers for a moment before turning on the girl.

"And who is this young lady with you?"

"Silhouette." Ossian smiles, and the swallows. "This is Jasmine."

Jasmine has moved closer to Ossian, clutching at his pants with one hand. Ossian crouches beside her to say "This is where fine ladies curtsy."

Jasmine does so and asks "What's in her basket?"

Silhouette touches two fingers over her heart and curtsies, "Kalo apoyeevma, Jasmine." She tilts her head at the girl's question, offering a slight smile. "The Inquisitive should always direct their query to the source of their uncertainty. Otherwise, they may not acquire the correct answer."

She bends down and uncovers the basket. It contains styluses and ink black, a stack of engineering schematics, coils of copper wire and small pieces of machinery, and - perhaps most importantly - four large peaches.

"Would you like one?"

Jasmine looks sad, on the verge of crying "Not between meals. Mother says."

Silhouette glances up at Ossian, raising an elegant brow.

Ossian looks stumped for a second "But you do bring packed lunch when you go to the park for the day. Take it and save it."

Jasmine streches out a hand towards Silhouette.

The woman holds up her finger, "One moment, my dear." She sets her basket down, then takes a sheet of thick paper and expertly folds it into a bag. The largest peach goes inside and is handed to the little girl. "Here you are, Jasmine. This will prevent your snack from bruising, yes?"

Jasmine silently accepts the package, and does not open it at the moment, although it looks like she wants to.

Silhouette offers her an empathic smile.

"Is that the beginning of a project?" Ossian says looking at the machinery parts?

"Indeed," Silhouettes says, standing back up. "The King commissioned me to construct a mixing board for his music studio. I thought I could conduct some initial tests before my daily walk with the Queen."

She brushes back her hair from her face, revealing the bruising around her eye. Indeed, Ossian can detect numerous dark patches lurking beneath her make-up.

Ossian looks worried. "What has happened? Did you have a fight?"

"Robin and I had an altercation with a few ruffians while you were away," Silhouette says, turning her head away bashfully. "I am recovering well enough. Thank you for asking. But worry not."

"I guess I should be more worried for the health of the ruffians." Ossian says with a grin "A story there, no doubt?"

Silhouette chuckles, "Oh, most assuredly. But I doubt it would be a story best told in front of young Jasmine here."

She smiles at the girl softly, "So, where are you two off to this fine day, milady?"

"We are going to visit my great-auntie." Jasmine says firmly. "My dad can make birds. And they fly."

Ossian smiles. "She is right. We are going to visit Fiona." for some reason he does not seem to want to elaborate. "We will be away for a few days."

Silhouette nods, "Ah yes, the Sorceress. His Lordship spoke of her with grudging respect." She casts a tender smile at Jasmine, "I envy you, my dear. Such opportunities are a gift."

"If you stay around, you will probably meet her. She's a curious sort, and I think you intrigue her. But then, you intrigue all of us." Ossian says, probably as some kind of compliment.

Silhouette tilts her head, 'unconsciously' accenting the line of her slender throat. "And here I thought myself universally benign."

A feline slyness curls her lips, "You never told me you had a daughter, Ossian. Shame on you." She waggles her finger at him in benign admonishment.

"Welcome to the family." Ossian says, his tone more serious. "Secrets are most valuable. The only real currency."

Silhouette returns a wry grin, "Then I fear that I shall remain forever impoverished whilst I am here."

Her dark eyes return to Jasmine, "So, you like birds do you, Jasmine? I make birds as well. Metal ones that sing and fly. Perhaps someday I shall make one for you. If your father allows it, of course."

Ossian looks at his daughter and nods.

"Yes." Jasmine says. After a moment she adds "Please.

"I like birds."

Silhouette laughs adoringly, "Then, perhaps, upon your return, you and your father will have dinner with me. And I shall give you a new bird as a welcome home gift. You can tell me all about your adventure."

Ossian smiles. "Don't worry about the secrets. You have plenty enough. Or people think you do, which is almost as good."

"Then I shall try to maintain my enigmatic reputation," she chuckles. "Smoke and mirrors are specialties of mine."

She straightens up, a cloud obscuring her smile. "And your lady wife? Is she well?"

Ossian smiles, but only a little. "If anyone doubted who your mother is, they should know now. There is an assumption you make that is simply wrong."

Silhouette blinks. And then manages to return the smile; hopeful, almost shy, in her manner. "Forgive me, Ossian. I simply feared that future encounters might be of a quixotic nature and cause unnecessary... entanglements for you. And I certain would not desire to cause you - or your family - difficulties."

Ossian's eyes glimmer. "Entanglements. I have enough of those. Another one... would be fun."

"What is an entangelement?" Jasmine ask.

"I am sorry, Jasmine." Ossian says "When you get older you will have to learn that by yourself."

Silhouette smiles at the girl, "Your father is correct, Jasmine. Savor your innocence and dwell not on such things for now. You will learn soon enough."

Her smile broadens as she looks into Ossian's eyes, "Thank you, Ossian. I look forward to your return. I shall detain you no longer. I am sure our aunt expects you both. Please, give her my regards?"

"I sure will." Ossian says. "I look forward to our next meeting."

Silhouette steps forward and then pauses, smiling shyly. "Yes, until then."

She curtsies to Jasmine, "Be safe, Little One. Watch over your father for me." She collects her things and watches them go.

After the conversation with Paige, Brennan takes another look around the Trump booth, then takes out his own Trump of Amber, concentrates on it, and steps through. Brita and Ossian will both be able to get hold of him by Trump if need be, and with the discovery of Ambrose's Trump in the booth, it's fairly likely that Brita won't need him anyway.

With the recent fun and games with Huon, Brennan expects a rather more chilly reception from the guards in general, and gives whoever is stuck with watch duty a moment to recognize him before heading off to find Caine's office.

The guards are as effective and efficient as Caine is likely to get. All new, young, and well groomed. Brennan notes that the officers, of whom he sees more than he had under Venesch, are ambitious naval officers of good families. They look like the kind of young officers who attended the coronation ball.

The men on the walls look to be sailors.

This is not surprising to Brennan. At all.

Brennan is quickly spotted and quickly identified, and quickly escorted to Caine, who has an office near the gate to the main keep.

Caine comes into the office from a back room, moving towards a large desk that is kept immaculately clean. "Brennan. Welcome to Amber. What news of the worlds?" He looks over at a well stocked but apparently infrequently used bar and gestures towards it with his head. "Drink?"

"Caine," Brennan greets him. "Thank you. It still feels more like home than Paris or Xanadu. As for the worlds, they're still there, which is its own minor victory these days. Little of import since the Family Council, other than cousins coming, going, and making last consultations and arrangements."

Brennan will summarize what he's aware of in that regard, but as he suspects that Caine largely does not care, the summary is brief. Still, the Family etiquette in this case is clear, so he gives Caine the chance to ask questions-- about that or something else-- as he pours himself a finger or two of something. He turns, implying the question of whether Caine wants something while he's pouring.

Caine's negation is brief, barely noticeable.

"So, not very different there than here. What brings you to Amber?" It's just a bit more businesslike than conversational.

Brennan slides easily into business mode, since business is what brings him to Caine's office in the first place. "Several things, the first of which is this." Brennan reaches into an inner pocket of his coat, not the one where he keeps his normal Trumps, and draws out a Trump. The Trump is in a fold of leather, so Brennan doesn't handle it directly as he places it on Caine's desk such that unfolding the leather will reveal the Trump face down. The Trump is of Huon.

"I know you heard some of the Council by Trump," Brennan says, "but about the time we were discussing this, you may have been attending other matters. Ambrose discovered this among Brand's effects and passed it to me when he heard what Huon had done. I offered it to the King and then brought it up again at the Council as an asset for brainstorming. The King's direction was to pass it to you, and let you learn what you could from it. I certainly haven't been stupid enough to try and use it-- I've taken pains not to-- and I believe Ambrose has treated it likewise. It is possible, although we can't know for certain, that Huon never even knew it existed."

Summary ended, Brennan waits for the response.

Caine opens the leather fold and taps the card back. "I serve at the pleasure of the King." He closes the leather fold and puts the card into a wooden box behind his desk. "Did you or your brother know any more of this card? When it was made, why, that sort of thing?

Caine turns back to Brennan. "I'd be interested to learn what your brother knows of trumpmaking as it might apply to Amber's Enemies. Would you ask him if he'd speak to me of it?"

"Here is what I do and do not know about the card," Brennan says. "I don't know when it was made, beyond that it looks and feels old. Which in itself might say as much about Brand's skill at the time he made it, than its actual age. I do not know for certain why it was made, but I can conjecture. Ambrose showed that one to me with several others: Ysabeau, Lucas, Ossian, Paige. Those form two pretty obvious groups: Former students, and people who might not be missed. Ambrose might know more now than he did when we spoke of it, which was some time ago. At the time, nothing in his inherited notes gave any insight to who those people were, which is why he asked in the first place. On the other hand, Brand also left coded notes here, and that part that we've decrypted is what tells me Ossian is my son. So Ambrose could very possibly know more now than he did when we last spoke."

Caine nods along, as if he's not hearing anything new.

"And, yes, I will get word to him, or arrange it, telling him you'd like to speak with him," Brennan says.

"Excellent," Caine says, straightening some already-straight papers on his desk. "Anything else?"

"Yes," Brennan says. "As part of the effort to discover what, if anything, is happening to Rebma and its Pattern, I'll be taking a look at the remnants of Amber's."

Caine raises his eyebrows. It's clearly artifice, since he doesn't seem to be truly surprised. "We've sealed the basement door. Can you go around?"

"Yes," Brennan says. "Yes, I believe I can, but didn't want to do so without talking to you first." There's a moment of calculation as Brennan decides whether to ask or not, then, "What am I missing, that we sealed the doors?"

"You're missing how a castle works. You close holes that things can come in by, when there's no reason to go out those holes." Caine pauses. "It's not completely sealed, but it would provide us adequate time to prepare a reception for anything we found coming up that way."

Right. So. Sealing something in, rather than sealing something out. And doing it very ineffectively.

"I'm sure I'll manage. Last item on the agenda: I understand Marius brought someone back with him into custody. Have we learned anything useful from this person? Is it useful to have this person questioned by a Redhead?" Brennan gibes a very thin smile at the offer.

Caine is about to say something, and then stops. "It might not be unhelpful, depending on how it is done. I was considering asking Conner to have a word with her."

"Good cop before bad cop?" Brennan muses. "She might not believe that Conner will actually hurt her. No matter-- it's your operation. I'll help as I'm able while I'm local. I should mention, though, that Conner said he'll be travelling in Shadow shortly. I expect to be seeing Fiona shortly as well; I can pass word to her if you like."

As if on cue, Brennan feels the familiar mental stirrings of a trump call.

Caine shrugs. "It's not a problem I expect the King will let lie...", but he trails off as he notices Brennan's distraction and deduces the cause of it.

"Fiona," Brennan says, "Caine and I were just speaking about you." Brennan is quite certain that Fiona can see Caine through her view of the Trump, but it's his version of politeness to let people know who the conversants are, instead of having to guess or work for it.

Brennan will depart with Fiona, but: He'll first ask if either has anything for the other, and he'll also point out to Caine that he'll be returning hopefully shortly if his presence is required for Thalia.

Both elders decline his offer to pass things along. Caine indicates that Brennan is not needed, but if he is available he may be used.

Ossian fetches Jasmine at her mother's place. Darling is not too happy with this, and Ossian has more or less to bribe her to get her to release her daughter (especially since Ossian doesn't really tell her what is going on). Jasmine however, does not seem to complain.

After the intermezzo with Silhouette, Ossian and Jasmine finally appears at Fiona's door. Ossian knocks.

Fiona opens the door. "Come in," she says to Ossian, and gestures to him to bring Jasmine with him.

When the door closes behind them, she bends down--not very far, because Fiona is a very small woman, for all that everyone tends to forget it--and says, "You must be Jasmine. I am your father's Aunt Fiona, and we are going on a trip. We we will stay in a place your father and I know for a little while, and then we will come home. Doesn't that sound like fun?"

From the look on her face, Jasmine's not too sure about the 'fun' part, but she says "yes, ma'am," looking to Ossian for support.

Ossian just smiles. "It will be fun. Has Brennan arrived yet?" Ossian asks, looking around. "Any preparations we could help with?"

"Brennan has not, but I'll send for him," Fiona says, and summons a page to do exactly that. "Otherwise, no; everything I'll need is in my laboratory."

"Good" Ossian says. He crouches, to talk with Jasmine "We are going to wait for Brennan. My father. I think you will like him."

The page returns to report that Sir Brennan has left the castle by means unknown, so Fiona goes down to the Trump booth to speak with him.

Ossian and Jasmine play while waiting for Fiona to return. They try not to tear her rooms down in the process.

"Fiona," Brennan says, "Caine and I were just speaking about you." Brennan is quite certain that Fiona can see Caine through her view of the Trump, but it's his version of politeness to let people know who the conversants are, instead of having to guess or work for it.

Fiona explains that Ossian has returned with his daughter and that the three of them will be leaving within the hour for her lab. If Brennan wishes to join them, he needs to come through.

Brennan will depart with Fiona, but: He'll first ask if either has anything for the other, and he'll also point out to Caine that he'll be returning hopefully shortly if his presence is required for Thalia.

Fiona brings him through and together they go back up to Fiona's chamber, where Ossian and Jasmine are waiting.

When Brennan arrives, Ossian has folded a small origami kitten for his daughter. They are discussing a suitable name for the kitten. Jasmine seems to have settled on "Tufty".

Brennan arrives with Fiona, probably midway deep in conversation of one piece of arcana or another about the Patterns and their relationships to each other. When he gets there, he greets Ossian, then turns his attention to Jasmine: "And who is this fine young lady?" he asks.

For all that Brennan often resembles Bleys in mannerism as well as body, he seems to have dialed that down about as far as it can go. Where Bleys might have inadvertantly boomed that question out, Brennan is soft-spoken even for him. Where they both might have turned the question into a command, Brennan does not. Where Brennan in particular might have inadvertantly loomed over her, he makes sure he does not.

"I'm Jasmine" she says with dignity. "Are you dad's father?"

Ossian obviously lets Jasmine run the show for the moment.

Brennan drops to one knee, to bring his eye level much closer to Jasmine's, and says, "That's right. My name is Brennan." He smiles and extends his hand toward her. "I'm very pleased to meet you, Lady Jasmine."

If she takes his hand, let it be noted that Brennan's strong, strong hands seem at this moment capable of grabbing a butterfly out of the air without harming it. His hand may completely envelope hers, but is surpassingly gentle.

Jasmine looks at Ossian, who smiles and nods. She then extends her hand. "He is kind." he says.

Soon enough, Fiona bundles up the group with remarkable efficiency and gets them mounted, with a groom to ride with them. They have to ride some way away from Xanadu castle, and the influence of the Pattern, before she is comfortable with Parting the Veil. Once they are far enough out--and Brennan would go further if he were doing the sorcery--they dismount, and Fiona transports them to her laboratory.

Brennan takes note of how far Fiona had to move from Castle Xanadu, vs how far he and Conner were from Castle Rebma when they played their gambit.

It's hard to tell because of the differences in altitude. He thinks she's closer, but she's going away and not inwards, which by the equations, should make sorcery easier in the general case. Brennan would need to do some math (physical, not Pattern) and probably better measurements than the by guess and by golly he's doing.

After taking some hair samples, and a bit of blood, from both Ossian and Jasmine, Fiona departs for her inner sanctum, leaving Ossian and Brennan to entertain Jasmine while she does the sorcery involved. While the room where she leaves them is comfortable, it wasn't designed with small children in mind. Toys will have to be made, or conjured.

There are servants (or perhaps automata; it's not clear without checking) who will bring them food and drink, or any other small things they require, while they wait.

Ossian obviously does know how to play with his daughter, and does what he can with pen and paper, sings songs etc. Brennan might think that Ossian is a bit reckless, but he seems to be able to balance on the fine line between laughter and crying.

But at some point, Jasmine might notice that Tufty is moving seemingly under his (or her?) own power. Slowly and cautiously at first, as though waking up, and then as if looking for something. Brennan doesn't say anything, but his attention is bright on Tufty when it starts to move-- another cue for Jasmine to notice.

[Brennan does this in a rather inefficient way-- direct, but very precise manipulations of gravity to flex the paper cat slightly and move it around the floor.]

Jasmine looks first in horror at Tufty. "Tufty moved." she says. But Ossian comforts her, and soon she watches in delight.

After a while of playing with Tufty, Jasmine gives Brennan a short hug, just in passing.

Seeing her initial reaction, Brennan goes very slowly with what he's doing-- no dancing, somersaulting, flying Tufty right out of the gate. Probably no dancing, somersaulting flying Tufty, period.

Brennan's mode of play (or one of them, anyway) is storytelling, and if shown enough interest, will be off and running with fairy tales or whimsical fables about the adventures of Tufty and friends. But he doesn't run too far or too fast-- Brennan is playing not entertaining. Jasmine is too young, but Ossian is probably perceptive enough by far to tell that Brennan makes an effort to engage and include and take directions from others, especially Jasmine to whatever comfort level she has.

When he gets the hug, he gives Jasmine one of his rare smiles.

Ossian observes his father with interest, and takes a more passive part in the playing when Brennan becomes more active, as to allow Brennan to bond with Jasmine. If Fiona takes a long time to return, Ossian will try to make Jasmine sleep for a while, when she becomes tired. He will sing an old lullaby with a quiet voice as he tucks her in. (Ossian's singing voice has a slight edge, and is just a little out of tune, although Brennan might realise that is by choice.)

Fiona returns at about the point Jasmine is falling asleep, carrying a mirrored tray full of sorcerous implements. There is some whispering from the toy when she arrives, as if it speaks because of her presence. Fiona eyes it with some amusement, but doesn't discipline it in any way. Instead she sets the tray on a nearby table.

"Good, you've put her to sleep. This will be easier if she doesn't see what happens."

Fiona takes a small knife with a silver blade and a silver bowl from her tray. She leans down to cut a lock of Jasmine's hair, and then makes a shallow cut in her arm that bleeds a few drops into the bowl.

Jasmine does not wake up.

"Brennan, please heal the cut. There's no point in distressing the child."

Fiona sets the bowl down on the tray again. There's something on the tray concealed by a pale silk cloth; Fiona removes the cloth, showing that it's a bowl of a similar appearance. She picks up the second silver knife and the new bowl, and brings them to Ossian.

"It's time to complete the ritual. Are you ready, Ossian?"

Brennan does as he is bid, doing roughly for Jasmine what he and Ambrose did for Lilly some weeks ago: Selectively speeds up her body's own healing activities.

On the one hand, Jasmine is much smaller than Lilly, and the wound is literally just a flesh wound. On the other hand, Brennan is working alone, and Jasmine is much smaller than Lilly and much more fragile. As well, Brennan adds a strong twist of entropy to what he's doing, making sure that the lion's share of the energy that Jasmine's body consumes in the healing process comes from his own, which is not a terribly efficient way to do things.

Some time later, he looks up, and rubs his own arm in irritation. Unbidden, his stomach rumbles.

Ossian watches Brennan, not entirely comfortable with the sorcery. He takes the knife and the bowl, and cuts his arm. The cut is a percfect half circle. He lets blood drop into the bowl, and takes a deep breath as he gives the bowl to Fiona. "Do it."

Fiona does something sorcerous, which Brennan could tell if he were watching relies on similarity, that burns the blood in both bowls. She examines the flames and frowns.

The lock of hair she then sets in a what appears to be a small scale. Opening a silken bag, she takes a dark lock that Ossian might imagine is Lucasian and places it on the scale. Some gestures and words, perhaps in Mabrahoring, complete that spell, and Fiona observes the movement of the scale. It doesn't settle until Fiona releases the sorcery, but instead bobs up and down erratically.

"That's ... interesting," she says, in a way that clearly means unexpected. "The child isn't yours, Ossian. But I snipped a lock of Lucas' hair before he was buried; that was the second test. She isn't his either. Her father, by blood at least, is neither of you."

Ossian frowns as the gears in his head turn. He end up looking somewhat relieved. "Huh. That's unexpected. Maybe good. You didn't find out if she's family at all?"

The question is barely even on Ossian's lips before Brennan, scowling fiercely, turns to look at Jasmine, and then to Look at Jasmine.

Brennan doesn't often accompany his Sorcery with gestures, unless he feels some ritual or extended action is necessary. In this case, so close after the extended Sorcerous contact and energy transfer necessary for healing, he doesn't think it's necessary. Still, even a non-Sorcerer can tell it's heavier than a simple optical glance. Brennan is not Brita and can't match her effortless infallibility, but he's had some success in discerning the Real from the less than real.

He listens to Fiona's answer with half an ear.

"She has royal blood in her somehow. I don't know if it's enough, but who does?" Fiona asks, apparently rhetorically. "Our next step would be to approach Random, to have him examine her with the Jewel. If you are still interested, that is, Ossian." The last sentence is without judgement.

Fiona begins to put her sorcerous implements away.

[Brennan's sense of politeness in this regard apparently does not extend to small children. Brennan isn't doing anything more than examining her Astral form, to about the same thoroughness as he did for Robin, and then later for Cambina. His primary interest is to see if he can determine her Family status, but he's paranoid enough to keep watch for anything unusual.]

Looking with his Third Eye, Brennan can see that what Fiona has said is true: the child is Real, which means family in some form. He cannot discern whether she could walk the Pattern, but he can tell that she has not done so yet.

Ossian smiles. "Well, I'm still interested. And we cannot have people of our blood running around unguarded. The girl still needs a father. I guess we might need to examine her mother as well." he looks at Brennan.

If anything, Brennan scowls deeper, but he's still rubbing his arm in pain where Fiona cut Jasmine, and he looks tired. He nods in agreement when Fiona says that the girl is still Family, somehow. "Yes, the mother is one possibility. The other is that the father is just someone we haven't considered. If I understand the timing right, that would narrow it down to someone on the Regency Council during the war? Consider this carefully, Ossian: Given what an absolute mess Flora has made of her own kids, pressing claim over her is one thing-- that's a mercy for Jasmine, among other things. Pressing claim against Jerod or Martin, if they're the father? Or against, say, Corwin, if he's the unknowing grandfather? That's another thing entirely."

Ossian smiles. "Don't worry. If Jerod is the father and acknowledges that, I have no problem giving her up. Let's find out."

Brennan raises an eyebrow at the omission of Corwin and Martin in that statement, but doesn't press the issue.

"Very well. Let the child sleep until she wakes, and let us feed Brennan--" whose rumbling stomach Fiona apparently didn't miss "--and then let us return to Xanadu for an audience with Random."

Ossian nods.

Brennan also nods, and looks about ready to depart immediately, but is delayed by mention of food, which he stays to enjoy. And also to rest a bit after his exertions, during which time he mentions to Fiona that he's planning to go to the Pattern chamber via the direct route, so that he does not accidentally kill himself or mess up Fiona's lab triggering whatever defenses she has set up against Veil-Parting in her domain.