After departing the lighthouse (with or without Robin, as she chooses) Vere pauses for a moment, and then slowly walks in a circle around the building, trying to get a sense of direction or distance for the faint feel of a spirit that calls to him.
Robin pauses alongside of Vere as well, taking a deep breath of the sea air and enjoying being outside again. She smiles over at Her Love, doing his thing, ready to help in any way Vere needs.
Vere gets an impression of the sea, which is not very helpful, since it surrounds him. Still, the lighthouse is on the highest point of the island.
There is a path down to the sheltered jetty where the two ships docked and there is another path down the seaward face of the island, presumably to try to rescue anyone shipwrecked on the rocks below. It doesn't look very safe.
To Robin's mind, the island is a wild, isolated place, home to birds that eat the bounty of the sea and goats that eat -- well, anything. They are goats, after all.
Vere smiles at Robin. "I cannot tell where the spirit is, but I feel it is near the sea. I did not sense anything earlier when we were at the dock, so I propose we take the path down to the rocks. Dangerous, which might explain what happened to the keeper."
Robin grins back. As far as she is concerned, dangerous is fun. And anywhere a goat can get to, she can. She starts to say, 'Race you!' but then stops. And thinks about the question. "If I was to guess, I'd suspect a body drop rather than an accident?" she shrugs.
Vere nods. "A definite possibility, although if he had cut his hand on the lens he might have been light-headed. Many possibilities, which I hope can be resolved." He laughs quietly. "I do rather like solving mysteries, I must confess." He starts down the steep path towards the rocks, being careful of his footing.
Robin smiles at Vere's back. Someday they're going to get back to that underground cavern so Vere can investigate paintings and ruins while she battles (or befriends; either way works for her) a giant underwater reptile. Except for the underground part, it seems like a great vacation.
Still smiling, Robin bounds down the trail after Vere, being careful not to knock rocks into him or fall on him or anything.
The way down is remarkably steep and the rocks are slick with seawater, rain, and humidity and it's hard to imagine it will be any better going back up. Vere thinks it will be wisest to return before sunset, if possible.
The tide is low and exposes a rocky beach that would grind up any ship that happened to come too close to it. There are shipwrecks nearby that are at least partially submerged at high tide. There's a cave entrance uncovered here that leads into the darkness of the island. One of the wrecks has a rope ladder leading up to it. It looks newer than the ship. By centuries.
Peep and Chirrup are ready to investigate, with Ooot flying watch.
Vere smiles at Robin. "Knowing how you feel about being underground, my love, shall we investigate the wreck first?"
Robin grins back. "Considering that high tide would only leave us swimming and battered against the shore as opposed to drowning in a cavern - again. Yeah, bo... ship first would be great. But I can do the cave too, when it's time." She finishes by sticking a disgusted tongue out.
She waves a hand toward the wreck, launching both her Beloved and the firelizards. "Lead on, my Love."
Vere laughs, and takes her hand. "Onward, then, most beloved."
Robin returns Vere's grasp with a squeeze. That's right, together.
As they approach the wreck he pauses and carefully examines the beach, the wreck, and the surrounding area for any signs of recent activity. Then he opens his third eye and does the search again.
The rope ladder is made of modern synthetic materials, of the type that don't survive in Amber for very long. It's out of character with the wreck, which seems to be a typical merchant ship of the golden circle. What's remarkable about the wreck is that it's survived any time at all in a zone where the tide would cover it twice a day. The violence of the water crashing onto it should've undone it ages ago.
The bottom rung on the ladder is broken. There's a nameplate on the stern of the ship, but it's covered with growths and the name is obscured.
"Be aware, Love, that I am going to do a bit of Sorcery," Vere says to Robin.
"Thanks for the warning." Robin chirps back.
He stares at the nameplate, opening his third eye, and softly singing, "Our gallant ship is gone to wreck, which was so lately trimmed, The raging seas has sprung a leak, and the salt water does run in."
Using the principal of Space he attempts to see behind the growths, to the name of the ship.
The Ship's nameplate says 'The Flower of the Sea', in Thari. The name is unfamiliar.
While Vere is using arcane methods to investigate, Robin uses her more mundane skillset. Beaches and ships aren't her forte, but she is still a formidable hunter and tracker. She looks around for any signs of habitation and makes sure the firelizards are on alert.
Robin isn't an expert on beaches, but it looks like this spit of land is at least partially underwater at high tide. Or at least that's what she guesses from the high-water marks. If there were any clues at the bottom of the broken ladder, they were washed away when the tide came in. The ship is at least partially out of the water all of the time, but much of it is submerged sometimes.
The tide is coming in, but it'll be a while before it's a threat. Cheep is pulling snails off of rocks and eating them. He seems happy, and somewhat alert.
"She was called The Flower of the Sea," Vere tells Robin. "Not a name I am familiar with from my time in Amber. Shall we?" He approaches the ship, stopping to examine the ladder. Can he tell if the bottom rung was cut, torn by undue force, worn away by the natural entropy of high-tech materials near realms of the Pattern, or broken by some other cause?
The rungs are made of wood, so the entropy effect should only have affected the rope, but natural entropy could be involved. It's hard to say. Maybe the lighthouse keeper was too heavy for it. It's been wet since then, so it's hard to tell exactly what happened to it.
"Yes, please." Robin chirps back. And immediately begins swarming up the side of the ship, disregarding the ladder entirely. Beaches she might not know, but climbing she does.
Robin begins free climbing up the side of ship, taking advantage of the overlapped construction to grip onto the side. The only tricky part is the slickness of the boards, which are not wet, but have been in the past.
Robin scrambles to the top, and finds herself on the slightly tilted aft deck of the vessel. There's a cabin at the back and a dark and open hatch leading belowdecks.
Vere boards the ship using the ladder. Once on deck he stands still for a few minutes, looking everything over before he decides where to go. Does anything seem out of place or in any way unusual?
"Hmmm," Robin considers for a moment while Vere looks around. "Cabin that might stay above the tide before dark-drowny-place?" She offers.
(If Vere agrees) Robin heads toward the cabin, making sure of her footing and deftly avoiding any hanging masts, sails, or ropes.
The cabin does indeed seem dry, although the broken windows and open door are not weather-proof. There is a wardrobe at the back and a map chest beside the writing desk, as well as a bunk. The room looks to have once held an embarrassment of riches in terms of clothes and books, but the weather has damaged the ones that are strewn about.
There's a box open on the desk, which looks like a medical kit.
Vere glances around the room to be sure there are no lurking threats before walking to the desk and examining the medical kit. "The maps might give an indication of where the ship normally traveled," he says to Robin. "We can look for a ship's log, as well." Then he smiles and says in a slightly self-deprecating tone, "Not that I plan to leave the cabin without having examined all the books. Do stop me if I start reading, sometimes I am unable to control that impulse."
Robin smiles with fondness warming her eyes. "Beloved, if it was puppies you'd never get me out." She blows him a kiss.
"Tell you what; put the things you want for sure in one... person sized pile." Robin figures if she can schelp Kitten over the rooftops of a rioting Xanadu, she can get a fair amount of charts, logs and books up a goat path. "Put the things you like in a second pile for maybe later. Just in case we're getting a body up the path on the first trip.
"Though the medical kit is a good clue that at least one pre-corpse person was here."
Robin picks her way through the debris to check the wardrobe.
The medical supplies are higher tech than the ship, which is from a gunpowder and sail era. Based on the indentations in the padding foam in the box, there are some things missing. The remaining medical supplies look to mostly be pills and some self-contained refrigerated medicines. The tech has either failed because of the time the wreck has been here or because of Amber's variable asymmetric entropy.
The log shows that the ship is from Bellum, and is a combination troop ship and treasure hauler. It looks like it was caught in the black road war at sea and the crew was overwhelmed. There's nothing in the log about the sinking, but the Captain feared the ship would be used to transport the undead back to his homeland if it were taken.
The maps include the double-dozen seas, and rutters for common shadowlands, prior to the war.
The wardrobe has clothes for a wide variety of climates and cultures, including some that look like what Edan's troops wore when they arrived from the Land of Peace.
Vere keeps up a running commentary to Robin as he makes discoveries, so that she is fully apprised of everything he has found. When he gets to the part about the undead he lifts an eyebrow to her and says "Let us hope that was speculation only, and that there is not a hold full of animate corpses either below us or in the cave back on the island."
"Oh, I don't know..." Robin's reaction is the exact opposite of Vere's. She almost wriggles in anticipation. "I overheard Jerod and Garrett tossing around a zombie head just as we were leaving the stables. And a hold or cave full of the undead might be just the thing to shake off the Standing-Around-Quietly-While-the-Men-Theorize bleahs."
[Vere] switches to a quick check over the books in the cabin, taking Robin's advice and separating them into piles of 'too damaged to be of interest,' 'not interesting,' 'worth taking but not necessary,' and 'Oh! I must have this!"
Robin gathers some of the clothing and blankets that are undamaged enough to be pressed into service as make-do knapsacks. She also keeps one ear out for approaching trouble and keeps the Firelizards on alert.
The initial triage goes quickly, although the piles rapidly become large and unwieldy. It also takes some time, and the shadows are getting long before Vere is satisfied with his sorting.
If the must-have pile is small enough to fit into the makeshift carrying bags Robin has put together Vere will fill them up, give the not-strictly-necessary pile a sad look and muttering, "Perhaps we can come back for them," then with a nod to Robin he says, "Let us go search the hold, most beloved."
"Ooo, yes!" Robin wriggles again, nothing like the anticipation of a fight to make the dark-drowny places more enticing. Though she loves Her Man (and by extension, his books), another blown kiss is thrown and she is out the cabin door like a shot.
The hold is mostly near the keel of the boat, with this hatch to allow cargo to be loaded. It looks like there are ladders and platforms, and it descends into the darkness. The low angle of the sun means there isn't much light angling down belowdecks, although some creeps in through hull breaches. This vessel looks impossible to refloat, but it maintains enough hull integrity to not be well lit.
The ladder is solid near the top, being made of bent metal rungs stuck into the planking. It's a race to decide if it's going to get dark or slick first.
Vere grins and says, "Watch this, my love." He walks to the top of the ladder, then turns toward the sun and inscribes a large circle with his right hand. He then inscribes a similar circle with his left hand at the top of the stair, linking the two circles via the Principle of Space and letting sunlight stream directly down into the hold.
The light passes through the external portal and illuminates the shaft down to the hold. There's definitely water down there, and since the ship is not level, the water slopes away. Certainly some crates are dry, and others are damp, and there's high water mark on the shaft.
With a laugh he says, "That should give the undead pause," and heads down the stairs.
There's a sound from below, possibly a splash.
Vere pauses on the stairs, and exchanges a look with Robin. "That is not at all ominous," he says in a deadpan voice. He resumes descending, slowly and carefully.
Robin is all grins and bright eyes. Her Man is so clever with his sorcery. And she is all throwing knives, covering Vere as he descends the ladder. If he reaches the bottom with no trouble, she will drop down beside him still grinning. She just loves ominous.
Vere is at the bottom in calf-deep water when Robin drops. His ears are ringing from the giant knock and he is soaked. The good news is the deck below stood up to it.
There are a few open crates, but most of the cargo is packed away.
A moment later Peep pops into existence beside Robin. She seems agitated and wants to tell Robin about it.
Vere grins back at Robin, then turns his attention to the hold while she deals with Peep. He takes a couple of steps away from the ladder, eyes darting around the hold and taking in everything. He is paying attention to all his senses, alert for any sight, sound, smell or sense of motion that is in any way out of the ordinary.
Vere concludes that there is a hull breach somewhere, because the water apparently drained out, mostly. He also thinks it's rising.
The crates are full of silver and gold artifacts. Some are beat into thin foil and others are thick slabs, but all are highly decorated. This was a treasure ship. The crate that is nearest to the ladder is different. For one thing, it's locked.
Ah, yes. Boom! Splash! That encapsulates so many of Robin and Vere's shared experiences... And yet, Vere is still grinning. Oh, she does Love Him!
As Peep appears, Robin turns her attention to the little Queen confident that Vere's got the guard. Robin Listens to her little Queen with a kind of calm, orderly attentiveness. Something she is probably trying to copy from her father.
Peep doesn't like this place, apparently. Hard to say why.
"There is at least one opening to the sea, my love," Vere says. "Water, and other things, can get in and out." He steps over to the locked crate. "Now what would be so important that it would be locked up, in a hold filled with unlocked boxes stuffed with treasure?" He knocks firmly on the lid of the crate, trying to judge from the sound if it is mostly full or empty, and, just incidentally, listening to see if anything inside the crate moves in response to the knock.
"Peep doesn't like it here. And she thought giant aquatic reptiles were fun too." Robin relays, "I'm not getting much else from her," she adds.
Robin conveys her pride that Peep is getting so good at the popping in and out, but her non-understanding of the source for Peep's agitation. She tries to convey 'Step-by-step Peep, for the stupid mammals.'
Peep flies into Vere's Sunbeam Portal, and is on the far side. Robin gets the impression she would be following, if Peep had her druthers. The other two fire lizards look through the portal as well.
The crate is not full, and it sounds as if it's made of some laminated wood or thin plastic. Nothing seems to move when Vere knocks on it. It's not 100% full. The lock is also modern. Vere might need someone else's handprint if he wanted to open the lock.
Vere attempts to lift it. How heavy is it?
Robin looks at Peep, looks at Vere, then gently says, "Beloved? Can we figure out what's twitching the faire before we investigate another mystery?" She tries really, really hard not to emphasize 'another.'
The crate is quite heavy, but not too heavy to lift. The biggest problem with it is that it's too large to conveniently take in any kind of grasp that would allow Vere to climb a ladder.
Once Peep flies out, Vere and Robin can hear the sound of the waves hitting the side of the ship.
Vere lowers the crate once more and nods thoughtfully. "You are of course quite correct, my most beloved. I should not ignore your faire's disquiet, and I should not allow my love of mysteries to draw me ever on." He backs towards the stair, watching the water carefully.
The water isn't rising in here. Yet. But if it's lapping the side of the ship, then maybe the spot where they walked to and climbed the ladder isn't as dry as it was before.
Back at Robin's side Vere looks the room over once more, then asks, "Shall we go back to the deck, and determine if their disquiet was merely with us being in the hold, or if they are concerned about something more?"
"I think they want us through that hole." Robin points at Vere's spatial distortion. "Do you want to boost me or shall I boost you?" Robin grins.
Vere frowns. "Why go through the hole when we can just climb back up the ladder?' he asks.
Robin cocks her head at Vere's frown and thinks it through. What she comes up with is, "Iiiiiiii suppose the answer to that depends on what one trusts more as an authority."
She gestures toward the hole. "Reported or observed phenomena can be misleading or misconstrued, but have advantage of being immediate and palpable.
She gestures toward the ladder. "Logic and reason are tried and true, but are also ultimately based on conjecture."
Robin's green eyes light with pride and affection. "I LOVE you, My Light of Reason. But I'm almost always going to choose the tangible over the deduced. But this time - I won't jump before you can decide." She finishes with warm affection.
Vere nods decisively. "Then let us do both. I shall boost you through the hole, then follow on the ladder." He cups his hands to give her a platform for her leap.
Robin gives a chirp of happiness and bounces right into the stirrup; coiled and ready for a Vere-strength-assisted leap.
"One, two, three, GO!" Vere assists her in leaping up and through, watches to be sure nothing unexpected occurs, and then climbs up to the deck.
Robin gives a chirp of glee as she sails upward, acrobatic and full of life.
Vere arrives on deck slightly after Robin. The fire lizards are calmer now, but the sea is rougher. The tide has risen several feet and the rocks are still above the waves, but are no longer part of a beachfront. There won't be any walking back, unless Vere and Robin hold their breath.
Vere glances back down the shaft. There's less of the ladder he climbed now than before.
"Shall we have an invigorating swim back to shore, my love?" Vere asks Robin. He picks up the pack of books. "I can toss this to shore, using Sorcery, so that we need not worry about keeping them from the water." With a wave of his hand he dismisses the sunlight portals.
Robin wrinkles her nose at the thought of swimming. Even though she was mentally prepared for it, she's still not fond of getting wet.
"Can you throw the books with us riding them?" She asks her amazing sorcerer.
"Oh, and you were right about the ladder. But you have to admit, being thrown through a magical hole to waiting baby dragons has more panache." Robin's grin is light and infectious.
Vere laughs. "I forget about you and water. I seldom turn down a chance to swim, especially in rough water. But let us avoid that.' He considers. "Night is falling, perhaps we should wait on the cave until tomorrow? If so, I can Part the Veil and take us directly back to the lighthouse."
"That works for me," Robin nods. "And given the amount of rough water in my life lately, you'll probably get another chance sooner rather than later." She grins at her Beloved. Birds and fish, sometimes it works.
Vere draws a dagger, brings the area just in front of the lighthouse firmly to mind, and with a slash he cuts through the air in front of them, binding Space to Space, and opening a passage between Here and There.
Vere makes the slice. As with any sorcery, it feels wrong to Robin and her impulse is to use Pattern to "fix" it. However, it's very convenient and Vere and Robin are soon outside the lighthouse. The fire lizards are, for some reason, spooked this time and have decided to fly themselves to the lighthouse.
The windows of the keepers cottage have been opened, letting light and air into the small building. Brita and First are inside, having tea.
"And here we are," Vere says as they step through. He looks after the fire lizards thoughtfully. "Is their departure reason for concern, beloved? Or shall we just join Brita and our guest?"
Robin steps through with a breath of self-restraint. She reminds herself that there's a couple holes in Arden as well, still waiting to be fixed, but the world hasn't unraveled yet. Yet.
"Thank you, Love." Feeling 'wrong' is still preferable to being wet.
Robin bites her lip as she looks back toward the beach and the silhouettes in the air there. "I'm not really sure what's got them stirred up. I suppose we can go in. I'll keep an ear out for them and let you know if they get any clearer in their fussing."
Vere nods, and closes the tear in Space. He examines it briefly with his Third Eye afterwards, to make certain his closure was complete.
First looks up at the returnees and their collection of books. She doesn't say anything about their method of transit, but does ask if they'd like some tea.
Brita turns to see Vere and Robin. "Well Met, Cousins," she notes. "We are Starting dinner preparations. How Went the Exploration?"
Vere turns to Brita. "Well and poorly," he answers with a small smile. "We did not find what I was searching for, but we did find another interesting Mystery that we can return to later."
"Tea would be lovely," Robin says nodding to first as she climbs in the window. "Thank you.
"Do you guys need any help with dinner?"
"If You Know how to Cook, Yes," Brita responds. "I can Only Grill... And Make Porridge."
She turns to Vere with, "Mysteries Can Make for Lively Dinner Conversation." The curiosity is obviously there...
Vere smiles as his love goes through the window, but he decorously used the door.
"We found a wrecked treasure ship," he explains to Brita. "With a sealed container that they obviously saw as more important than the treasure, which was in unlocked chests. It seems to have been lost since the Black Road War, and there is an ominous mention of the undead in the captain's log."
First pours two more mugs of tea. If she wishes to join the conversation, she's waiting for something.
Brita cocks her head, "Undead are Becoming a Common Theme -- they were Also In Shadow Gateway. Was the Sealed Container something We could Bring Here?" She waves a hand to the surrounding lighthouse.
Robin nods, both her thanks to First for the tea and again in answer to Brita's question. "Yep. It was something that Vere could carry.
"We also found a used first aid kit - bit technical for hereabouts. We still have the hold and a cave to explore but the tide chased us back up.
"As far as cooking goes, I'm up for dinner prep. As long as folks can keep their talents quiet, so I can insure ingredients and ripeness." She finishes with a sip of her tea.
Vere mirrors Robin's nod. "It is a high tech container, and a little tricky to lift up a ship's ladder, but not overly heavy or awkward." He glances out the window. "With the fall of night, I might wander the island to see if I can locate our reclusive ghost."
Captain Stern arrives and knocks on the door. "I'm having my men re-light the lamp at sunset. I'd like to finish our inventory and discuss the supply situation with your honors tomorrow. Is there anything you need from me or my crew before we get to our tasks?"
"Nothing I know of, Captain," Vere answers. "We have not yet determined what happened to the keeper, so I would not yet proclaim the island safe. I am certain you will take all due precautions."
"I'll be taking care of dinner for all soon, Captain. If one of your crew wants to volunteer for peeling and chopping, I'd appreciate it." Robin smiles to Stern.
"Thank you, Ma'am," replies Stern. "If my men finish their tasks with the light before you are ready, I'll send them to assist you. But first we have to end the danger to shipping, so Amber can have some again."
Vere nods. "Carry on, Captain."
The captain departs.
First looks after him. "Shipwrecks are so interesting. What happened to the ship?"
"It was a ship out of Bellum," Vere explains to First and Brita. "Apparently boarded during the Black Road War. The captain's log makes mention of undead, although we saw no sign of them. There is a large hole in her side, I am not certain if it was made when it crashed on the rocks here or previous to that, although my guess pending further examination would be the former. There is a rope of high technology weave dangling from the side, an open high technology medical kit in the captain's cabin, and the previously mentioned high technology lock box in the hold. That these have not degraded further than they have argues that the ship has not been here as long as other signs would indicate, or else that there are other factors that I have not taken into account."
"Tell ya what," Robin says and kicks back the rest of her tea, "You guys break out the logs and charts of the former Flower of the Sea. And I'll go wrestle up some stew and biscuits." Because while Robin can technically cook, she is very much a camp and trail cook. "Remember - no Talents for a while."
Brita's smile of thanks to Robin is big.
Robin returns the smile and heads off to the kitchen.
First looks at the group with the documents. "The Flower of the Sea was named after a famous lost ship of Bellum. It was supposed to be the leader of a treasure fleet, but was lost in a storm. They sing of it. It's a popular song in Bellum, because it's about brave Bellumite soldiers beating the hapless Asirians and then losing their gains to the fates." First doesn't seem inclined to sing their song.
Brita turns to Vere with a frown and says, "High Technology And a Bellum Myth Ship. Does it Look like the High Technology Arrived With the Ship or After the Wreck?"
Robin finds the kitchen stocked like a long-term Ranger camp, with easily prepared food that is not particularly tasty and which may lack for variety. Her fire lizard fair flies in the open window, circles the room, and land near her.
They don't think much of preserved foodstuffs.
Hah. Robin gives loving skritches to her picky eaters as she calls up the blue lightning of the Pattern into her blood. And lays her will on the Lighthouse.
First thing, it will become very probable that all go well for Captain Stern and crew. They will easily find the tools they need, things will fit and tools won't slip. Very probably all will go smoothly and easily and Robin's hoped for volunteers will arrive sooner rather than later.
Second thing, due to an unfortunate mix-up on shipping invoices a while ago, there is a small crate of spices right about... there. The case includes some things to spice up the local fare and in addition, a small jar of chili paste that Silhouette might find 'acceptable.'
With the jar in hand, Robin will let the Firelizards know that she's willing to clean, paste, skewer and roast anything they care to bring her; rats, fish, small goat, shrimp, whatever. Except seagulls, those are for combat practice, not for eating.
If all of that goes well, Robin sets a large kettle to boiling and makes with the peeling, mixing, chopping, etc. 'Let's see,' she thinks, 'three sailors, me, Vere, Brita and First. Right, meal for fifteen coming up.' All the while, her will lays on the kitchen as well. All should probably go really, really well.
"The higher technology items were definitely out of place for the ship," Vere confirms, "But that does not mean that they could not have been picked up in transit, if the ship visited shadows of differing natures. But they could also have been brought on board by someone after the wreck." He tilts his head slightly, considering. "The medical kit had failed, as one would expect from a high tech item after some time. The advanced materials rope was still coherent, however, and the technological lock on the box in the hold is still active."
Vere turns his attention to the charts and the log. "Perhaps there is a clue in the places they visited most recently before they were lost."
Brita nods and suggests, "We should Look while Cousin Robin is Preparing Dinner." Brita clearly does not want to cook. She moves to the logs and starts perusing them.
While Brita and Vere are laying out the charts and log, the sailors return and go to the kitchen. "Captain Stern sent us to help with the cooking. How may we help, ma'am?"
Robin looks up from her work with a warm smile. "Oo, thank you to both you and Captain Stern. I'm Robin, not ma'am, and a Ranger. Which I hope you won't hold against me." She finishes with a grin.
"Soooo, either of you have any experience?" She says, looking meaningful toward a pile of flour, salt, etc.
"We are sailors, Ranger Ma'am. We have to be able to make do in a lot of circumstances." The shorter one, Sailor Farthing looks flustered.
"We cook or we don't eat, Ranger. How can we help?" adds Sailor Wainwright, rolling his eye at his colleague's choice of words.
Robin grins at both of them. "How about you start on biscuit duty for now? I'm thinking about enough to feed fifteen. Better too much than too little and biscuits will keep. Especially navy biscuits." She grins again; giving credit where credit is due.
Robin keeps up her Pattern-based influence on the lighthouse, particularly in the kitchen. Tools are easy to find, in good condition and don't slip. Ingredients are fresh and little extras can be found. Cooking fires burn smoothly and well, etc. etc. etc.
Things go well. The sailors assume they have gotten better at cooking. Somewhere, a butterfly flaps its wings that otherwise would not have done so in this shadow.
The food is ready, and looks surprisingly delicious.
Nodding with satisfaction, Robin turns to Farthing and Wainwright. "So, will the Captain be joining us or did one of you want to bring him a serving?"
Farthing looks at Wainwright and replies. "He's watch-standing, Ranger Ma'am. We haven't been here long enough to trust the light to stay lit. We'll carry a tray. And leave the dishes, we'll clean up after we are done."
Wainwright finds a tray and starts to serve out the sailor's portions.
"Will do. And thank you kindly." Robin nods. She waits for the working men to gather their food and skedaddle.
Meanwhile in the mainroom:
After that interruption, Vere and Brita dig into the records. Bellum uses some ridiculous dating scheme based off of the victory in a particular war and the date of their last contact with Bellum. "The 128th day since we departed for distant realms on the 18th of Victorie in the 45th year after King Astrovaldo's glorious victory at Montserrat." And when meeting other Bellumite ships they would synchronize and advance the clocks.
Most of the Bellumite writing is like that--highly dependent on knowing context that they assume all readers know.
It's not as hard as reading Uxmali Code Wheels, but there's a lot of guess-work involved.
The ship was considered too slow or too poorly armed to be an assault vessel, so it carried troops to the war and treasure home after the victory. The enemy was weak and had been damaged by either natural causes or the Amber Navy. The treasure ship got separated from the rest in a storm and was trying to make port in Amber in her last entry.
"All very interesting, " Vere observes aloud. "But not helpful in explaining what they ran into at the end, and what might have escaped onto the island." He smiles slightly. "Cousin Brita, do you think that my belief that the best way to solve this is to speak with the ghost haunting this island is valid, or is it merely the ancient truism about all problems resembling a nail when one has a hammer?"
"First Hand Knowledge is Always Best, Cousin Vere," Brita says as she glances at First. "Although it is Sometimes Hard to Discern the Truth in That Knowledge. Or Know the True Meaning."
First looks interested. "Ghosts are fascinating. They have such a non-trivial relationship with time."
Vere looks at her with interest. "Have you had much experience with ghosts? I am woefully lacking in a theoretical framework for my practical knowledge."
First smiles encouragingly. "I would love to hear about your practical experience with ghosts, Prince Vere. Almost all my knowledge is theoretical. I was taught much, but little I could experiment with. How different are ghosts in different shadows, in your experience?"
Vere smiles slightly. "My experience is not all that extensive," he explains. "Most of the ghosts with which I have spoken were in my mother's land, where such things were, while not usual, also not completely unexpected. The inhabitants were accustomed to the concept that they might possibly become ghosts if they died with important matters unfinished, so their ghosts tended to be more understanding and accepting of their condition. In other shadows they are more likely to be confused."
She listens intently. "So there are shadow-based differences. Do you think the difference in acceptance causes the difference in agency, or vice-versa?"
Vere laughs quietly. "I have wondered that same thing, but there is currently insufficient information for theorizing," he answers. "Any answer to that would be a wild guess at best, based more on opinion that evidence. At some point I shall test it, but such testing shall involve multi-generational guided societal changes over multiple shadows." He smiles, "It is invigorating to know that I have, in theory at least, sufficient time to do such long-term planning and experimentation."
She nods. "Time is a precious gift. I will be very interested in following your progress. If there is a ghost on this island, may I meet her?"
"You are welcome to accompany me when I go in search of it tonight," Vere agrees. "I cannot guarantee that you will be able to perceive it. I am positive that I sensed its presence earlier, but I do not know where it is located. Such things are usually associated with a particular location, although that is not always the case."
Brita has been listening to the discussion quietly. She finally says, "The Dead of Shadow Asgard are Much More Straightforward. They Tend to Have Clear Motivations - Celebrating Their Lives and Glorious Deaths."
First looks at Brita. "One of the things I saw in lots of shadows was a selection process. Did you go to this hall or that after you died, or none at all? Every shadow had different rules, sometimes many sets. Not to mention the Grackleflints of the Bronze Legion. If every thing in shadow is a reflection of some real thing, what is that a shadow of?"
Brita cocks her head to the side as she thinks. "Shadow Asgard Is The Home of the Aesir and the Place that the Victorious Dead are Brought. There were Eight Other worlds -- Each drawing their Own to Them. The Shadows Seem to Reflect the Wider Gradation Between the Realities of Order and Chaos. The Selection -- to me -- Draws Like to Like." Brita shakes her head. "Or Maybe the Asgardian Selection Process just had to do with Who had the Best Beer."
"The spirits I usually speak to are those who have not passed on, due to unfinished business or messages they need to give the living," Vere explains. "I try to assist when I can, although sometimes," he grins ruefully, "Sometimes life becomes so hectic that I cannot make time to solve the murder, or tell the heirs where the treasure is hidden, or make the deceased one's last wish known."
From the kitchen, Robin's voice rings out: ""Dinner's ready. Want to come serve yourselves?"
Brita can move fast when motivated. She is out of her seat and at the door to the kitchen before the question ends. "Smells Wonderful, Cousin," she says as she begins plating.
First stands more slowly after Brita departs and follows her to the kitchen.
"Food sounds very good," says the son of Gerard, suddenly realizing how long it has been since he last ate. He joins the rest in the kitchen.
Robin has an enormous pot of stew simmering on the hearth, an army of biscuits complete with butter and honey and a large tray of honey-nut twists cooling on the windowsill, for afters. It looks like enough food to feed 12 or more. Robin obviously respects the appetites of Lords of Order and their guest.
"Thanks, Brita." Robin chirps. "It's just camp fare, but good enough for now."
First serves herself a hearty but not overly large portion of stew and a few biscuits. She eats the biscuits while waiting for the stew to cool off. "Thank you, Ranger Robin. This is quite good."
"Indeed," Vere says with a smile. "Excellent and plentiful." He eats with an appetite that would do credit to his father.
Robin digs in heartily - very heartily. It's been an eventful day/night/day.
As it become darker outside, there is a sudden brightness. The Cabra light is re-lit, for the first time in who knows how long.
"Good," Vere nods as the light comes on. "Amber is no longer what she was, but she should not be left to decline. This is an excellent step along the path to her recovery."
Robin looks up at the light. A host of emotions dance across her face: joy, pride, wistfulness, sadness? She looks over at Vere with a bittersweet smile. "Indeed," is the only word she has though, unconsciously echoing Her Love.
As Robin continues to eat, she grows quiet and thoughtful.
After packing away almost all the leftovers of what Robin cooked in her tall frame, Brita automatically begins cleaning. If you didn't help with the cooking, you help with the clean up. She tosses a couple choice bits to each of the dragons, cooing softly about how they are such good protectors and warrior queens as appropriate.
Her thoughts drift to the anomalies of the lighthouse and take flight. How did The Light Keeper Die? Why are there Undead in the Shadows? Why Cannot the Moon Riders Regain their Moonlit Home? Can the Floaty Queen be Healed of her Insanity? How can Queen Vialle be Freed? Where are Dara and cleph? How Did the Light Keeper Die?
However he died, at least he didn't leave any dishes in the sink. There's nothing to show that he was half-way through any daily tasks when he died.
She muses to the trio of hovering dragonlettes, "My Brain is Awhirl, but it Cannot Clear Out the Fog. What do You Think is Our Current Worst Enemy? Our Inability to Find The Right Answers or Our Lack of Understanding?"
The two males fight a bit over the last tidbit, but it's friendly sibling squabbling. The little queen just watches from her perch on top of a cupboard.
Last modified: 7 June 2019