The Castle [02] (Remba, but don't let it stop you)

[Boog]

When Stygian passes by Jeremiah follows him back to the rest of the group, hanging back slightly to keep Plic away from temptation. He heads back to the kitchen figuring that there shouldn't be any issues there and leans against a convenient wall while he tries to keep his Condition from doing anything that would be traced back to him.

[Stygian]

"Bam... Bam, I'm not sure..." Gina complained as they passed up the fifth set of stairs and headed down the corridor, following closely on the trail of the bat. "Bam, I'm not angry with him. He just seems annoyed. Bam!" Her protests were weak and useless against the determination of the feline though, and they soon found themselves standing in a doorway, looking into some huge apartment-like room that was probably one of the master quarters or something of the like. Solid, qualitative and beautiful furniture and tasteful decorations and paintings hinted in the darkness, as did the dark shape of the bat on the bed, featureless save for its outlines. And, for its eyes, glowing dimly as he turned against them.
   "What?" he asked glumly. Then, Bambi had her outbreak, and after a few futile attempts at communication, collapsed. The ferret's eyes widened, before she made a face, and promptly tried lifting the bigger feline away. The bat just eyed them with a frightening gaze, completely still, before they managed to scurry away, the ferret dragging the cat away over to a sofa in the hallway and the door to the room closed by itself somehow.


   When Jeremiah returned to the library, he, being the only one who had actually shown the concern to mind, immediately noticed something that was not right. Not right at all. And something that he was probably to be blamed for. Something quite significant too.
   In the sofa beside which lay a plate on the floor, with its dark, carved wood and crimson satin cover over its cushioning, there lay nothing. No spider-woman, no chains. No pancakes. Nothing.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

It took a while for Mel to heal both Cog and Keaton. Both had cut themselves deeply for the ceremony, physically as well as emotionally. "Why don't we go back to the library and get some of that poor cold abandoned breakfast? I'm hungry and you two need to eat to build your health back up." Mel headed back to the library.

[Aisha deCabre]

There was a smile on Aisha's face, moreover relief as the spell had worked as well on the others, with Keaton perhaps one of the more dramatic transformations yet.  Still, adding this to the memories of all she has so far witnessed in the castle, it far surpassed the mythical travel stories lining the path along and far beyond the front door.  A hurdle passed, an unknown chapter in those myths written, to be hidden.

"A congratulations to each of you," the panthress commented with a grin, though she cast a curious glance at Sebastian's sudden urge to leave.  Unlike Bam and the ferret, who seemed adamant as they left on bothering the bat, she didn't have that same kind of thought.  I wonder if there's more to deal with...

Instead, Aisha stuck around to see if either Cogi or Keaton needed help with the deep slices in their arms, the panthress giving only a slight wince at the thought of all of the pain put together that they must have went through.  Mel however seemed to have it under control, and therefore started on her way back to the library before them, only giving a momentary glance around the grand ballroom, as she hadn't had the opportunity to take in the scenery before.  Once again such amazing design and nobility with the presence of the building, despite the history slowly unraveling.  "Qué ha sido...ha sido (What has been...has been)." She muttered while walking out.

On her way back towards the library though, Aisha's ear seemed to crane unnoticeably in another direction.  There was a twinge...only a passing feeling.  Like the kind someone gets when they just shudder for no reason...but a version barely on the edge of hearing.  But it only made her shrug while she made her way to the library, where within, something...someone...was amiss.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

Bambi's body seems to get more life back as her breathing rate increased, and then drops and settles into a more asleep state.    

**Bambi felt something that swept her through on by or was just a fleeting thought.... and now, she finds it hard to talk**

Bam slowly awakes, and feels her throat, it is not sore.
At the sight of Gina, she smiles and said "puroow"  PBH looks ready to cry, now.

PBH

[Boog]

"Oh... Damn," Jeremiah said, staring at the empty plate and the emptier couch, "Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn, damn-" His litany was interrupted by the sound of a door opening behind him. With a yelp of "I did nothing!" He whirled around. "Oh... Hi Aisha."

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel didn't pay much mind to the feline or the frog as she passed them to get to the breakfast, still sitting abandoned where it had been when she'd left to bathe. She hadn't had more than a few bites of the dinner the night before between bouts of research and was too ravenous to notice much of anything but the remains on the table. A cup of cold tea and a sandwich of the various odds and ends left behind by the earlier diners would have to suffice until the next chance at a meal.

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha nearly jumped herself when she re-entered the library, having heard a voice chanting a curse until she guessed that it was surely the frog.  Entering with a few louder footsteps this time so nobody would be startled, she shook her head and gave a slight laugh.  "Hello, Jeremiah."  Her head tilted curiously.  "What has you so uptight all of a s..."

That was when she caught sight of the couch nearby and glanced at it twice over, thinking something about the scene in front of her was different...and it didn't take long for it to find its way through her brain.  "Sudden," she finished, then turned to the frog with a surprised look.  "Where's the woman that was tied up?"

He needn't have answered her, as her head swiveled around in the shadows of the still-somewhat-darkened room.  Though the panthress was most likely certain that she was no longer a threat to the party, Sebastian had still must have had a reason to keep her bound.  The panthress cursed a little exasperatedly beneath her breath (in her born tongue lest anyone hear her), and grabbed her weapons belt, whirling to Jeremiah with an accusatory glance...though more concerned than angry.

"You were the one watching her.  You will need to find Sebastian and tell him she's loose."

Without anything else said, the panthress wound her way from the library, past the others, trying to find her way through the labyrinthine corridors for the washroom...in haste, it would probably take her a few moments to find it again.  There was probably little rush...for what could she most likely do except just find a way out of the castle...?  But still the bat was owed the right to be let known.  And if there was anything more to be done anyway, she needed her adventuring clothes back.

[Boog]

"Watch... Wait, what?!" However, it was too late. Aisha had already left. With a sigh, Jeremiah found his way to where Sebastion had scarpered off to (unfortunatly, his sense of direction failed to fail him this time) and knocked twice, hesitantly.
"Houston, we got complications..." He chuckled nervously.

[Stygian]

Stygian hadn't slept for more than perhaps ten minutes before his attention was once again called upon. The first knocking of the door he ignored, knowing full well that the frog had no business with him. Or, at least no sane business. When he insisted though, and even spoke to the door, the bat got a bit annoyed. He would make a point out of not disturbing him to them. And so he did a classical maneuver he was used to whenever he wanted to get out of a closed room into a corridor, and there was nothing to obstruct him.

   "What complications?" the frog heard the bat's smooth voice say from just behind him. There had not been so much as a sound up until then, and he was quite clearly taken aback by it. The bat also looked quite irritated, something not very pleasant, circumstances considered.

[Boog]

"Gyeh!" Again, as a direct result of the spider woman leaving, Jeremiah got spooked, "Don't do that!" He gasped, before composing himself somewhat. "It's that spidery friend of yours," he continued nervously, grinning slightly, "She seems to have been, ah... Misplaced." The grin got slightly wider, as if to say "One day we'll all look back on this and laugh and laugh, and I'd like to focus more on the laughing than the yelling."

[Cogidubnus]

Cog let out a sigh of relief as Mel healed his wrist, savoring the cool sensation that traveled up his arm. "Thank you." he said softly. His shirt was soaked with blood, but it wasn't really his shirt anyway. In any case, he'd new to buy new clothes at some point, anyway. He bowed gratefully to Mel and rubbed his wrist. Good as new, he thought. He waited until Mel had healed Keaton, and grinned at Mel's words and her mothering of the both of them. "In a moment. Some food would be good, though.", he said.
He walked over to where Keaton had dropped his sword and picked it back up. He inspected the blade and the various pieces of the hilt, checking for damage. It was unlikely simply dropping it would do anything, but he liked to take care of his weapon. Satisfied that no chips or dings had marred his blade, he replaced it in his sheath, and headed to the library. His stomach growled in anticipation.
He passed Jeremiah in the hall, and raised a single eyebrow at the running frog. He watched him turn the corner, and then turned a wary eye towards the library door. Placing a single hand on the hilt of his blade, he slowly opened the grand doors. He saw Mel and Aisha inside, and sighed.
He opened wide the doors and headed for the breakfast table. He grabbed a few random pieces of cold things and turned to the rest of the group. "What's wrong with Jeremiah?" he said, before taking a seat. By their faces, whatever had just gone on was not good. He raised an eyebrow and munched for a moment, taking in the surroundings.
He stopped, and dropped his head. There by the couch, where the spider-woman had been sitting, was nothing. He sighed, and took another absent bite of his food. He leaned back in his chair silently, and tried to keep his face from twisting into a scowl. It would appear that happiness was a commodity few and far between, here.
He stood, wiping his mouth with his blood-soaked sleeve, and walked back out of the library. She'd need to be found, whereever she was. He suspected that Jeremiah had run for Sebastian. It might not be a bad idea.
He made his way through the hallways, stopping to sniff every now and again, and keeping his ears open for the telltale scuttling of arachnid legs.

[Stygian]

The bat did not do anything but look at Jeremiah for a brief few seconds, his left eyebrow rising slowly. He didn't show any signs of anger, but...
   Slowly, Stygian stepped closer, his gaze intensifying.
   "Oh, I think that I shall laugh. You, however, will probably not. See, that spider is a professional killer, like me," he said, his voice low but terrible, as he moved in on the frog and forced him to back up. "And like me, she can be up behind your back without you ever noticing. And she will kill you without hesitation if she somehow gets the slightest reason and an opportunity," he continued, bringing a hand up, black claws like knives growing out the tips of his fingers, "just like I will if she fails and you ever fumble so horribly as this again." His voice kept low and his face expressionless, yet his words and his eyes told everything.
   The bat's claws were just inches from Jeremiah's face, the frog backed up against a wall, when behind them, Cogidubnus came up the stairs in the room just down the hallway, catching sight of and hearing them. The bat turned, narrowed his eyes just the slightest bit at the wolf, then snorted and went back, opening the door to his room and walking in.

[Prof B Hunnydew]

      Bambi and Gina watched this little drama with the frog and the bat...And PBH realized that she did wanted to ask Stygian anything, right now. Even, If she could talk anyway.  When the wolf shows up, Bambi trys to talk to him. All she can says is jibbrish with her hands pointing to her mouth and throat.  After a moment of pleating eyes up at him, the depressed cat heads down to Mel and watches her finish off breakfast.   
      Here she trys something different, she writes her message..."Can't speak,but throat is okay, but words very hard to form in my head or mind......Help PBH" on paper and hold it up to Mel...she trys to talk again to Mel.."Meow ghatdefbskop Helosubyf"with the pointing to her mouth and head  and then Bambi gives her the sad kitten eyes, and cry in her lap.

PBH

[Boog]

"'Ey, you were the ones in the same room as her! I was looking for the door!" Jeremiah replied, raising his hands. Fortunatly, the green flickering had ended about half a second after he removed his hands from his pockets, "Is this really neccessary?"
He was fairly relieved when Sebastion went back inside and let him be though. He grinned at Cog nervously and chuckled, "Methinks I screwed up."

[Stygian]

Once again, the door to the bedroom closed, evenly and seemingly of its own power. The group of people were left standing outside without a clue, basically, the situation just worsened by the fact that Bambi seemed to have lost her tongue completely. She had even felt as if she was beginning to have trouble getting the words down on paper when she wrote to communicate, meaning that something was quite clearly very amiss. The cat went off, and the ferret stood somewhat lost, then headed after her with a frown to see what she could possibly do to help.
   That left the frog and the wolf just standing there, none the wiser.

   Finding the washroom proved a bit of a task, as Aisha had expected, but the panthress was not lost on locations, and soon she was standing outside a familiar blue-painted door with a golden knob from behind which still emanated the distinct smell of wet stone and ceramics, and of lavender soap. There was another, quite familiar smell coming from somewhere off too, but the feline could not place it. It was just like when you have a name right at the tip of your tongue, but can't get it out. And smells, being so distinct to memory as they are, are sometimes even a bit stranger in that aspect.

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel was a bit taken aback when Bambi ran in, gave her a piece of paper, and fell in her lap sobbing. After reading the paper she gave Bam a gentle shake. "Sit up and let me see."

The initial inspection of mouth and throat proved the note's assertion that nothing was physically wrong. "Bambi, I need to check your brain. You need to drop your mental shielding for me." Mel could have made her way around the shields but this was faster, and more polite, and gave the girl something to do. As soon as she did Mel went right to the language center of the mind to check it out. Except there was nothing there to check. It was a blank. Mel blinked and her brow furrowed, as she checked again, but it wasn't really necessary. She knew exactly what she was looking at. A select portion of the feline's brain had been erased. Quickly and roughly too, for Mel could see bits and pieces were still unraveling. Bam would get worse before she could get better.

"Bam, look at me and pay attention. Someone or something took away your knowledge of language. Unless that someone or something kept it and is willing to put it back you will have to learn language all over again. Like a baby or a stroke victim. I'm sorry, but it isn't something I can fix. Do you know who did this?" But Mel pretty much knew asking Bam was futile, that even if she knew there was no way for her to communicate. Probably even her ability to write would be nearly incomprehensible by now.

[Boog]

"Well, best see about finding her. Care to gimme a hand, Cog?" Jeremiah said hopefully. He wasn't too keen on the idea of locating this dangerous killer somewhere in a dangerous castle by himself.

[Sunblink]

After Mel finished repairing the self-inflicted laceration cleaved along her wrist, Keaton gave an appreciative nod in the snow-skinned dragon's direction. Inspecting herself, she poked and prodded at the unsightly wet spots dappling her now wartorn and disheveled clothing. The upper part of the sleeve that concealed her scarred shoulder was loose now, the thin threads unraveled, sagging in a tattered ring around her elbow. This meant that her Jyraneth clan scar on her shoulder and her military scars were visible, but she decided it would be taken care of in the future.

Wrenching it off and tossing it over her shoulder, Keaton took in her appearance, satisfied with her yellow fur; her leathery wings, decorated in black spirals and curls; her dirty blonde hair...

It felt so good to be back. She would've jumped for joy if she weren't in the company of people she had only known for a day. As Cogi retrieved his sword (she felt slightly sheepish at dropping it so carelessly; she had no idea that it belonged to him since it was merely handed to her once she entered the room), she continued to marvel in her appearance, following the group down with an expression of complete mirth on her face. She just needed an opportune moment to replace her clothing and take a bath...

They passed Jeremiah, who seemed in total panic. Raising her pierced eyebrow, she tilted her head to the side, watching him stumble over his words and further drive himself into chaos. "What's with frog boy?" she asked no one in particular, keeping her voice under her breath and off to the side. As she turned her head away, she froze as her eyes landed squarely on the place where the spider-woman was once seated, her expression confused. Wasn't their involuntary torture victi--er, prisoner there before?

Then where did she go?

Perturbed by this, Keaton turned around, deciding not to bother herself with this despite her puzzled demeanor. First things first... bath. She smelled like shit, frankly, all civilities abandoned, and it was likely someone else may've noticed it as well. Keaton didn't want her precious yellow--not white--fur to be marred further by the malodorous stench of blood. Not to mention she didn't want her clothing to fall apart further, or for anyone to notice her clan affiliation emblazoned on her shoulder.

Now where to find the washroom?

~Keaton the Black Jackal

[Prof B Hunnydew]

Bambi had a good cry.  she was quiet now ...after a moment , she writes "the bat nos what, My last hope  sleeplearner ~' lost ak"  "Grrrr"  she draws a " M" " G  TTFN"

PBH looks out the window..of the library looking worried and lost...

PBH

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog simply fell silent at Sebastian's glare, and twisted his face into a sour look. Things never really did get better here. He let his face fall flat again, took a deep breath, and sighed. He'd have to talk to her...him, later. The brief confusion of gender exacerbated his depression by adding a spot of confusion to the mix.
He nodded to Jeremiah. "That would be a good idea, yes." he said, stretching one shoulder. "But I fear we could spend all day looking, and not even see every room in this castle. And somehow, I don't think it's completely bereft of secret passages." He looked sidelong at the door behind which the Bat hid. "Our esteemed host would be a great deal of help."
Cog stood pensively for a moment, before edging up to the center of the door and cracking his neck. He gave a lopsided grin to Jeremiah.
"Let's hope this works."
Rearing back, he lifted one leg and kicked the door, slamming into it with all the force he could muster, right into the lock. The door flew open with a defeaning thud, the knob probably knocking a nice hole into the wall on the other side. Cog stormed into the room, using all of his abilities of intimidation as he looked at the reclining Sebastian.
"How many times are we going to have to stop you from going off and trying to kill your guests? Huh?!"

[Aisha deCabre]

After practically dashing around, Aisha finally found the door that she was looking for, and she could finally slow down and catch her breath.  She wondered if there was really any need for rushing...if Sebastian was informed by the time she got there, anyway.

She cast a curious gaze at the door for a minute, however.  It's closed...?  And then after that observation came the notice of the scent.  She tilted her head and put her nose to the air, wondering if she could identify it...but a vision was only on the tip of her mind and could not be totally recalled.  The huntress shook her head, though the slightly-crawling feeling came back to her again.  Could it have been the spider woman?  And was the smell even coming from the inside?

Aisha came up and, after a bit of hesitation, knocked a few times.  Not loudly, but loud enough to gain attention.  "Is anyone in there?  Be warned, I would like to come in and retrieve my things."  Then her hand reached for the doorknob and turned it.

[Boog]

"Yipe!" the frog took a step back from Cog's sudden outburst, and then two steps toward it. He rather wanted to see this.

[Stygian]

There was no answer from the other side of the door, and no apparrent change in the surroundings. But after a couple of seconds, Aisha thought that the smell was fading, up to the point that she could not sense it anymore. And that settled it; it couldn't be coincidence.
   As she entered carefully and silently, as was her practice, the panthress couldn't see anything though. Not at first. But then she thought she saw the door to one of the neatly fashioned cabinets in the back of the room move...


   As Cogidubnus smashed in the door, the bat, already halfway in bed with his glasses and shirt off, looked up and made perhaps the most incredulous face that Cogidubnus had seen anyone make in short memory. It quickly changed to anger as he spoke, Sebastian's nose flaring once, while his ears folded back and to the sides and his eyes narrowed under a furrowed brow.
   "It was unlocked, dimwit!" he said, looking up at them from the side of the bed. He stood up, folding his hands over his chest and glaring a bit, the corner of his lips over his slightly bared teeth twitching a bit. "And you're going to have to stop me just as many times as you people fumble and fault and throw all these things right in my face and expect me to take them as levelly as nothing! You're not in a position to talk yourself either!" He scowled at the wolf, then averted his eyes, closed his mouth and took a deep breath.
   "Besides, I won't have to kill you, now that our little redhead friend is on the loose. She'll vanish, and then return after a while, and you'll all be quite sorry."

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog growled, and cracked his neck. He looked over his shoulder, and then back at the bat scowling at him. He averted his eyes for a moment, formulating a response.
"Unlocked. Yes, well." he said, fumbling for words. He coughed, and turned back towards the bat. "It's not the point!"
He stepped up closer to Sebastian, leaning closer to the reclining bat. He made his voice soft, trying to keep it from carrying to Jeremiah behind him.
"You leave us alone with the spider woman, and get angry when she escapes? If you knew anything about her, what the hell did you think would happen! She did not have very complimentary things to say about you, sir. Who was Jeremiah to trust? You? You attacked Mel, and ran away. Withdrew into your shell again. Our arachnid friend took quite full advantage of your absence, good sir." he said, his eyes meeting the bat's own red. "I admit, it was one reason I came to get you last night. It was the opinion of rather a few of our party that you needed to explain yourself."
He kept his voice steady as he kept talking. "Now, I don't give two damns why the spider woman doesn't like you, and it's a fair guess that it's not all one way or another." He sighed. "But I think I know why you have...been keeping to yourself. It's one thing to want privacy. I can understand that. We both know why you've been holed up in this room every spare moment, though." he said, again sighing.
He leaned yet closer. "Don't take your being mad at me out on Jeremiah there. If you're feeling sad, or pissed, or whatever, it's not his fault. You've been like this all day. Take a swipe at me if that'll make you feel better. Or at least don't try to kill the others."

[Aisha deCabre]

Aisha made sure that the door made barely a creak as she entered, taking slow steps across the threshold while looking on the inside.  Her head was stationary, but her eyes scanned the room quickly.  Nothing that seemed to give a clue to whatever presence she had sensed earlier.  The scent was gone, and any lesser mind would have either shrugged it off, or would have left without further interest.

It was mostly what the panthress intended to do as well...her dried clothes were lying at the window, warm and finally back to their original deep blue color, and her cape to a pulsating crimson.  She walked in a little more, still careful of her footsteps, when she froze completely again.  Movement at the corner of her eye, on one of the cabinet doors.

With drills going through her head repeatedly, she kept an intense, focused glare upon that spot, though her ears were swiveling to each corner to pick up any noise.  She couldn't be sure if what she saw was only due to her nerves, or if it was really there.  It's always why she didn't like to be on the recieving end of a stealthy move.  They didn't have to hide and not answer me unless something was up.  Well, chica? Will you just take your things and just walk away, or will you let curiosity get you?

Curiosity, of course.

The maneuver was practiced before.  With one hand she reached for her clothes, and with the other she slowly gripped something wrapped at her side.

In a quick motion, she grabbed her bundle and rushed up, the only sounds a double-padding of her feet on the floor followed by a slam as the cabinet door was swished open.  Whatever was inside would see the bounty hunter with the razor-edge of her boomerang held up in front of herself, with the element of surprise as fully-utilized as she could make it.

"I don't wanna have to hurt anyone," she informed calmly, whatever it was she was speaking to...the air, or a person.  "Not unless they have a reason to hide."

[Stygian]

As the panthress threw open the door to the cabinet, she instantly heard something like a hiss, and caught sight of shuffling legs, spindly and sleek. Claws scraped at the wood, and eyes glinted at aisha as she saw a spider, about the size of her own head, crouch together in the cabinet and hiss and snarl at her. She recoiled, being taken aback a bit.
   Then, there was a single, very, very silent wet tap from behind her as something as big as she slid down from the ceiling behind her. The last thing the panthress remembered was feeling something sharp jabbing into the back of her neck.


   Sebastian backed his head a bit, his left eyebrow rising as his mouth closed. Was this the wolf's attempt at some kind of... apology? He felt that the wolf smelt a bit sad and uncomfortable, a remnant of the scent from earlier in the morning. And he had been all apologetic then too. Was he...?
   "You're not... Why are you trying to apologize here?" the bat said. He took a step back and away, dropping his posture to the side a bit, hand on his hip and his brow furrowing yet again as he looked up at Cogidubnus. "I was the one who couldn't keep myself in line. However confused or insecure you might be, it's not right. I was the one at fault." He peered over the wolf's shoulder, back at Jeremiah. "I'm not angry with you, Cog. It's these people, who one expects might have at least the brains not to untie a frickin' demon when she's angry and hurt, but still don't seem to."

[Cogidubnus]

 Cog tilts his head at Stygian's words, and one eye narrows. "Your fault?" he said slowly. "A werewolf attacks somebody, and the victim apologizes? That's a new one."
He quirked an eyebrow. "What, then? You've been avoiding everyone because you feel...guilty?" he said, his tone incredulous. "For what, exactly?" He stood in confusion for a moment, and shook his head. "I'm not even sure what you could be sorry about. I mean, unless I'm missing something I didn't exactly run away from you. You didn't do anything, as far as I'm concerned."
He looked away at the comment about Jeremiah, and gave a somewhat sour expression. "He had his reasons. As I have stated, it's not completely his fault." He said, placing a hand on his sword. It was more reflex than anything. "It doesn't matter at this point. She's free. And I'm guessing that there are far too many places in this castle to look by ourselves. Futile. Without somebody who knows the layout of the place..."
He coughed. "If you would be so kind, I'd like to find her before she kills somebody. Or worse. We don't need another curse ceremony."

[Stygian]

The bat listened to Cog's words, and slowly a small smile appeared on his lips. Looking directly up at Cog, the two inch difference in height adding just a bit of tilt, Sebastian slowly raised his hand.
   "Nothing is not a good word to explain what I did with," he said calmly. "As for you attacking me, puppy..." He intonated on that last word a bit, purposefully, "I am not so easily hurt."
   The bat tensed his fingers, claws that were already long sliding out even further like hooks, and then drew his fingers down his face, slowly, while pushing them down. Gashes were torn in his skin, blackish blood running out and down around his black eyes with their gleaming dots for pupils. He cut his skin deeply, and then swept his hand over the wounds, wiping them off and then flicking the blood away. Though it was dark, Cog could see clearly how the dark tears were slowly beginning to heal, the blood still left running inward and the flesh reknitting itself. It didn't take more than perhaps a dozen seconds, and the bat's skin was as unblemished as nothing, a little clotted fur the only sign there had ever been a wound at all.
   "The spider will not be found. I can't smell her, and even where it is dark I think she'd be able to blend in. No, she will come to us, if she even so much as stays. Which she won't, if I know her right..." Stygian said, looking down and aside, his face now just thoughtful and solemn. "But we still need to keep watch. She wants us here. She'll likely try and find a way to keep us then."

[Mel Dragonkitty]

Mel looked at the last note from Bambi. "The bat knows." She glanced upwards to where Sebastian was holed up and decided that questioning him wasn't something she was going to venture. This could wait until he reappeared. Bam wasn't getting any better or worse in the immediate future. As to the rest Mel didn't understand. If sleeplearner was a type of spell she had never heard of it. Since the closing mentioned Gina Mel handed the note to the ferret. She awkwardly patted Bambi on the shoulder. "You'll pick it back up much faster than a child."  She knew that wasn't particularly comforting but didn't know what to say.

Finally she looked around the library and realized they were all alone. "Where did everyone go?" She started out to look for someone to see what everyone was doing now.