Session 2 (8/9/08) - "The Lover's Holidays Approach!"

Log of game on Sunday August 9th as logged by Dungeonfag (Sammy Carrion). Timestamps are -6 GMT (CST)

CHAPTER ONE: Amy's Healing Hands
20:27 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6SCENE: Early February. It is midday, and today has actually been busier than usual. Martha has been busy preparing her magicks for the upcoming planting, meaning that Amy, as her apprentice, is tasked with healing duty. And there is healing to be done, as it seems that one of the cattle used to plow the fields has decided to be unruly, and in the ensuing mayhem, one of the men who works the fields, named Andre, has managed

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6 to get his leg broken. It isn't bad, and it hasn't broken skin, but it's likely he's out for the season. He's a tall, broad man, with dark skin. However, for right now, it will be Amy who will be looking down at him, as he's unable to stand. He's currently laying down on a makeshift cot underneath a lean-to.

20:28 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; Amy looks over the man's leg in order to assess the damage. The bone hasn't broken out of the skin, so that was helpful but Amy still needed to set things right before she could do much

20:32 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; she tries to start by setting the bone back in place, cut her alignment is off. she forwns, knowing she'll need to try it again.

20:33 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Amy looks over his leg to assess the damage, and....well, it's hard to tell. The young man, for his part, tries to be as accomodating as he can be. However, as soon as she tries setting the bone, he's crying out. "Aaaah!", he'll exclaim, gritting his teeth. "That's making it worse!!!", perhaps she should try magic if she wants to help him.

20:36 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "I have to set the bone in place before I can do anything, otherwise if I heal you your bone will be sticking out." She tries to calm the man as she lets her magic collect in her staff, allowing it to grow.

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6With any initial magic work she does, she'll easily be able to find out that this isn't the kind of broken bone you take lightly. It might look mild on the outside, but inside, there's a serious danger that she could wreck the whole thing if she isn't VERY careful, and that any improper healing she does may leave him lame.

20:37 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"Uh....is this safe?", he'll of course ask this, as Amy's technique and bedside manner is different from Martha's. And, well...she's the new girl.

20:38 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "I may not be as old as Martha but you're in good hands." Amy tries to be reassuring, in an effort to mask the fact that this could be a very bad thing if she's not careful.

20:43 * Amy_Morrison summons the magic she had been charging back into her body, her hands shining brightly with blue light. The girl closes her eyes and mentally directs her magic around the break, seeing it in her mind's eye

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"Um....alright.", he really can't complain too badly...right? If he acts like a baby, he'll be humiliated, and worse, she may refuse treatment. He really just wants to get healed up.

20:47 * Amy_Morrison continues her mental surgery, her brow furrowing as she tries to will the bone into mending properly.

20:49 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6And....well, this kind of work is extremely painful. Perhaps it would have been in order to warn Andre to prepare himself, as he's now shouting at the top of his lungs, trying his hardest not to move. While your magic is good, and your mending is TECHNICALLY correct, there's something to be said about anaesthesia, and doing what you can to set your patient at ease and prepare him for pain.

&lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "Stay calm please, everything will be fine..." 6 no it's not, but she has to try to keep him thinking that.

20:52 * Amy_Morrison focuses harder and lets her hands move with practiced movements, almost second nature to the girl. she puts her immediate focus on healing the man's pain, while mentally making sure she set everything in its proper place.

20:53 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6And....Amy will be able to successfully mend his bone. He'll still be out for the season, and he's passed out, and the ensuing scene has caused people to stop their working, and you've drawn quite the crowd, who all seem concerned, but you've managed to prevent a young man from losing his livelihood. You're pretty sure that he'll be spared from lameness. Meanwhile, it seems that Martha has come, too. The woman, wearing her

20:54 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6 impeccably-clean blue and gold-lined robes as she always does, will look at Amy, and then Andre. Then back to Amy. Then, she whispers a word and her eyes become a clear, bright green, changing from their normal slate grey. She looks at Andre. "Good job, Amy. But...what is that you've done with your walking stick?"

20:56 - Joined: Airman (megamanfan@sux-A72871F8.mia.bellsouth.net)


 * Amy_Morrison holds the thing out in front of her so Martha can get a good look at it. It's a solid cedar staff, with a knobbed bulge at teh head and tapers down to a dull point at the foot. The whole assembly is about four feet tall and has a glossy sheen about it, further enhanced by lines of blue energy carved through the thing.

20:57 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "I felt it would be more...proper to have a functional staff with me, ma'am." Amy's family was one of renowned woodworkers, the design and clear coat of varnish was almost to be expected.

20:58 - Airman changes nick to Abel_Niven

- parasitologist changed mode: +v Abel_Niven

20:59 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "Is there a problem with it, ma'am?"

21:00 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Martha smiles, with a look that seems oddly...wistful. "Ah....how old are you again, child? I think it's time that we had a long discussion on where to take your education from here, along with such things such as staves and such. Please meet me at my home tonight." And with that, the scene will end, with the opportunity to pick it up later, either tonight, or during the week/another time.

21:02 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "Thank you..." Amy smiles and admires her handiwork. before returning to her other duties.

CHAPTER 2: Sammy's Bad Mail Day
21:10 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Scene: Mid-day. The work of a courier is hard! Especially during February! There's so many letters being exchanged between people in the village, that it can get ridiculous! Today, Sammy's saddled with the burden of many letters and packages, along with her usual load of business correspondences which suddenly pick up at this time! There's many love letters to be delivered. Though it's traditional to deliver these kinds of

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6 correspondences in person, well..sometimes it's embarrassing to be caught mid-delivery, and that's where she comes in!

21:12 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "Uhng, why does everyone have to send their messages through me. Just makes things so awkward..."

21:14 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6And now here, there's a question of ethics. What do you do when a man, who is married but who is currently separated from his wife, who has gone to the city for work temporarily, recieves a love letter that originated in this village? This of course, makes things even more awkward. Mister Lecuyer is a well-liked man about town who owns a small tool shop, and here, in hand, is a sealed envelope, with florid writing upon it, &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6 smelling faintly of perfume. Can Sammy even resist opening such a juicy, scandal-filled thing?

21:15 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "Who's this for again?" I eye him with a raised eyebrow.

21:16 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6That one's pretty obvious. It's addressed to Marc Lecuyer. And it obviously originated here. Perhaps someone doesn't realize just how small this town is, or thinks that the mail delivery is mindless.

21:19 * Sammy_Carrion raises the envelope to the sunlight so to see if there's any indication being able to read it through the envelope

21:25 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6You can read through some of it. The readable portion is as such: "Cannot be apart from you any longer......wish to be with you, however briefly it is.....if only for a week.....will never tell anyone, if that is what you wish, my love.", and that's about it. You can't make out the name or anything else.

21:27 * Sammy_Carrion shrugs and heads off to Marc's house. I've carried my share of innocuous letters before...

21:29 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Oh, it's easy enough to carry letters...isn't it? But today's kind of windy, much to everyone's regret. It makes the day colder than it would otherwise be, and it's a pain in the ass to everyone carrying light things, such as letters. In fact, it blows now.

21:33 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6OH LORD, you manage to hold onto the sordid love letter that you intend to hold on to, but it seems that several envelopes safely encased in whatever bag you usually carry letters in are now fluttering in the breeze, and being picked up into the air!

21:36 * Sammy_Carrion 's face suddenly grew very pale. Stupid stupid stupid! I really have to mind my own business more often T___T

21:37 * Sammy_Carrion begins chasing after the letters blown away by the breeze.

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6And there they go, scattering off in different directions! Two, towards the woods...one which seems to firmly entrench itself between shingles on the bakery's roof, and three which are going towards the fields!

21:38 * Sammy_Carrion looks for anyone within earshot.

21:40 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6There's people around. Most didn't even notice the letters, simply because they were holding onto their own stuff, but at least two children are watching in open-mouthed awe at the spectacle that Sammy's entrenched in.

21:42 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6And here, Sammy's sharp eye will save her from an otherwise troublesome problem of letters disappearing into the woods! It seems that a bush has caught two of the letters, while the other one continues to tumble along the ground at a fair clip.

21:44 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; As I run for the woods, i point back to the fields and shout to the children that they'll get a reward for getting the three letters that went that way.

21:47 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Well, that's enough to convince the children they should do it! They go chasing after the letter, though they seem to be arguing. "I'm gonna get the letters!", "No you're not, the reward is mine!", meanwhile, Sammy turns back, and finds that she's lost track of the still-mobile letter. Still, those two letters in the bush are there, and easy to collect

21:50 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Math is hard. Okay, the two in the forest are definitely there, lol.

21:53 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; With a sigh of relief, I pick up the two in the bush, inspect them briefly and then close the bag as securely as possible, and start heading back towards the fields

21:54 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6They're kind of dirty and beat up, but alright. But...heading towards the fields, Sammy will see something disheartening. The two boys are now wrestling. "I'm gonna get them!", however, it seems that the letters aren't going too far. They've wandered into one of the grazing pastures for cattle. There's a cow near one of them.

22:01 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; Knowing the danger of losing the letter, I scavenge my pockets to grab one of my alchemical smoke bombs, activate it and then chuck it at the cow about to have a paper dinner

22:05 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6And....as the cow stands there, swishing its tail, watching Sammy expectantly, smoke bombs are thrown at it. This facilitates the cow going CRAZY and bolting as it is BETRAYED. This causes the entire herd to start up in a violent cacophony of mooing, and a stampede towards the far end of the pasture, where they will all bunch up and generally mash against each other. Meanwhile, a very angry looking man is now running

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6 towards Sammy, who now has clear access to the letter she's saved, though it's very smokey. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY COWS!??!"

22:13 * Sammy_Carrion turns to the rancher, waves the smoke away, and puts on a sheepish look. "heh, Sorry Seamus, I didn't mean to cause such a ruckus, but they'll be fine. I'm just doing my job. By the way, I got something for you"

22:17 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6The sudden interjection of business seems to keep him from getting TOO pissed, but he's still pretty upset. "Well then give it to me! And don't do that again, or I'll call the guards on you for hurting my herd!", the wind picks up again. It dissipates the smoke. However, that letter's starting to flutter off again.....and the other one, too.....

22:19 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "Oh nuts, give me a second. I need to get the other letters. I'll be back real quick." I go after the other two letters as fast as my feet will take me.

22:23 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "I'm sorry, but you never know when it'll be your letter" I call back

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Well, it's easy enough to scoop up those letters now that the smoke is clear. Seamus here still looks pretty pissed. The cows have calmed down, but he's still waiting there, arms crossed.

22:26 * Sammy_Carrion pulls out Seamus's box from the bag. I'm smiling, trying a bit to hide how I'm a little scared of the man at the current time


 * Sammy_Carrion hands it to him

22:27 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; carefully

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Oh, it's best to be a bit nervous. He takes his cows seriously. Very seriously. "Good. Now please leave my cows alone.", he sounds like he's trying to be as civil as possible for a very angry man.

22:28 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "Thank you very much it won't happen again" I kind of want to cry...

&lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; I now go to the baker's and enter the door.

22:29 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6The baker's shop always has steady business. There's a very pretty, if somewhat chubby girl standing behind the counter right now. She's got a big smile on her face. "Hi!", she'll cheerfully say.

22:31 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "Hey Dora, could I get a huge favor? One of my letters blew away and lodged into your roof. Do you have a ladder or something I could borrow it to get it?" I say as I hand her the letter.

22:34 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Estelle frowns. It seems that the girl has mistaken her for someone else. Her frown is a large, hurt-looking thing. She'll take the letter, saying quietly, "My mother's name is Dora...", she doesn't look old...does she? "Um....no, we don't.", lodged into the roof? That's....unusual. "Maybe you can borrow one from mister Lecuyer? He sells ladders...right?"

22:38 * Sammy_Carrion is taken a bit aback. "Oh, I'm sorry, you really take after your mother. Wait, you mean Marc Lecuyer?

&lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "


 * Sammy_Carrion gets a slightly crazed smile on her face

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Who else would I mean? There's a sort of happy, albeit confused and airheaded look upon her face.

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6er, "Who else would I mean?" Insert quotes

22:40 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "No, thanks alot." Trying to be nice: "did you give your letter away already?"

22:42 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Oh, and this causes a shift in Estelle's attitude. "I, um...", she doesn't quite know how to put this delicately. "I don't think....I like any of the boys in town. They're all so...pushy.", she's frowning now. "I don't want to participate in this. I'd rather take a break this month, and hope that other girls will draw attention away from me..."

22:43 * Sammy_Carrion smiles softly and says "I know what you mean. Well, I'll see you soon"

22:44 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"Bye!", and...well, it seems that there isn't much business at Mr. Lecuyer's shop, if that's where Sammy is headed...


 * Sammy_Carrion heads to Marc's house

&lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; scandelous letter close at hand

22:46 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6A bell will ring upon the opening of the shop's door. Mister Lecuyer, a handsome man in his 30's, dressed in very nice clothes, as he always is, will smile at Sammy. "Welcome...come on in...how can I help you....miss Carrion, right?"

22:48 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "Hey Mr. Lecuyer, could I borrow a ladder? One of my letters got caught in the roof of Dora's Bakery. I can give you your mail when I bring it back."

22:49 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"Ah....alright.", he'll happily allow her to take a ladder.

22:50 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "Thanks so much. I was actually headed here first, but handling your mail has gotten me some trouble today..."

22:51 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"It happens...just...please don't damage the ladder!", the letter is still firmly wedged in the bakery's roof and easy to get. That's the last of them.

22:53 * Sammy_Carrion carefully returns the ladder and pulls out the evil letter. "And here's what started it all." I hand the letter over, looking closely at his reaction.

22:54 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6He'll take the letter, and pocket it. "Thank you.", he'll smile warmly at Sammy. If he knows that the letter is scandalous, he hides it well. And now, it's probably best to fade this scene out as Sammy takes a well-deserved rest after delivering the rest of her letters after this crazy day.

CHAPTER 3: Nyssa's Special Delivery
23:03 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Scene: Early morning. Guard duty. A pretty standard thing for Nyssa. Her work is easy, as she's not expected to do anything major or perform in any significant way, as she's still not yet an adult, but she is allowed full autonomy usually, simply because it's so peaceful. It's cold this morning.

23:05 * Nyssa_Pritchart breathes into her hands since she isn't wearing gloves at the moment. Her fingers are a little numb, but it's a lot easier to spread the salt to de-ice the roads that wat.

&lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; way*

&lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; Haaaah...

23:07 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Still, salting roads is pretty much the most menial of menial tasks to pile onto someone. But..well, what can Nyssa hope for? Sometimes it's hard to take her seriously, even if she does seem to be fairly serious about all this. It just comes with being a spoiled rich girl.

23:09 * Nyssa_Pritchart is humming to herself anyways as she's spreading the salt, saying hi to the occasional passerby with a smile.

23:10 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; I'll get to that house eventually and deliver my letter...

23:11 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "Good Morning Nyssa!" Amy sees the guard gir working on keeping the streets clean and figures she might be able to catch up with the girl. "Ho have you been?"

23:12 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "Oh, just keeping busy as usual." Nyssa smiles back at Amy as she flings another handful onto the ground. "Just keeping the roads and walkways slick free."

23:13 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "Need a hand?" Ever the altruist, Amy is more than willing to help out. plus it gives her an out in case there's some creepy old guy who ends up stalking her today...

23:15 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "Oh! Uhm, sure." Nyssa points to the small wheelbarrow she's hauling around that's loaded with the salt. "I'm about...halfway done, I think.""

23:16 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; There's one more place I definately have to stop by, though.

&lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "huh? what's that?" Amy decides to help by rolling the wheelbarrow so Nyssa can just scoop and toss.

23:17 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "It's nothing major~" Nyssa recites in a sing-song voice.

23:18 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "Is it a boyfriend?~" Amy is going to tease her about it if it's true...

&lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; after all it is that time of year

23:19 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "N-no way! It's not that at all!" Nyssa swerves her barrow away from someone she nearly hit from being flustered over that, her face redder than it had been from the cold.

23:20 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "tee-hee" Amy is clearly enjoying this. "So what's his name? is he cu~te?"

23:21 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "There's NOTHING going on at all!" Nyssa said, her pace slightly quickening. "Really!"

23:22 * Amy_Morrison quickens her own pace to keep up. "then why are you going to visit him?" She says with a giggle

23:23 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "Well, I..uh...uhm..." Nyssa's eyes dart from side to side. "I'm just...uhm...."

23:24 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "Awww~ how cute!"

23:25 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "Amy!" Nyssa throws a small handful of salt at you just intended to shoo you away. "If you tell *anyone!*"

23:27 * Amy_Morrison gets pelted bythe salt and takes the hint. "Alright, alright...but I'll find ut soon enough~" She figures she's tortured the girl enough for one morning and continues on her way to Martha's.

23:28 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "Morning guys. Sorry I can't help. Morning rounds and all that. Noticed you didn't send the letter through me this year, Nyssa. Good luck if you're delivering it yourself"

&lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; Later!

23:29 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Really...there's very little salting left to do. If Nyssa's trying to work up the nerve to do this, she may be running out of excuses to delay.

&lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "Ah!" Nyssa's face goes red again as she enters the residential area. She's spreading the salt around here rather quickly, as if she's trying to get to a certain house.

23:30 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Good job, Nyssa. There's little ice here. It really isn't necessary. But...do what you need to do if you want to make it subtle.

23:32 * Nyssa_Pritchart is glacing around discreetly. "Hm...how am I going to do it...? Whatever..."

23:33 * Nyssa_Pritchart slows down at the house she wanted as she careflly removes the letter she wrote, looking for the box to place it into..

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Should it really be that difficult? She's up early. Most of the men have gotten up already to work in the fields. And here....when she finds the appropriate box....she'll find another girl closing it and walking away. Pre-empted!

23:35 * Nyssa_Pritchart makes a face at that, waiting until she's left. As she approaches, she's going to look around left and right before attempting to switch the two.

23:39 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Well, if anyone cares that Nyssa's switching out letters...they don't seem to mind too much. The letters are switched.

&lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; Whew.

23:40 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "Now...what to...oh, I know~" Nyssa smiles as she approaches another house to deliver that OTHER letter to it.

23:45 * Nyssa_Pritchart delivers it to the person she KNOWS that the other girl won't like - he's supposed to be her rival on a rival sports team. Just thinking about something that would possibly intensity their rivalry made her giggle...it was SO mean, but those two were just crazy.

23:46 * Nyssa_Pritchart then skips off happily to deliver the empty barrow back to the depot.

CHAPTER 4: Fen's 80s Workout Montage
23:50 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Morning. It's very early. Fen's promised to help with the fieldwork, which means he has to get up at a hideously early hour. And...well, this morning will prove to be very eventful. It seems that someone's left a small basket of what looks to be muffins at Fen's door, with a small letter!

23:51 * Fen_Mcroth wakes up, frowns a bit at the weather, and makes a strange expression after seeing the muffins

23:52 &lt;Fen_Mcroth&gt; whoa...first time in years that i get something for this time...


 * Fen_Mcroth go and check the muffins and the letter, still half asleep and with a wide smile on his face

23:54 &lt;Fen_Mcroth&gt; uhmmm, i doubt my old bald man it's going to wake up early and make breakfast.... i guess i'll bite one of those...

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 * Fen_Mcroth heartfully start to munch out a muffin, thinking about the strange letter-

23:56 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6Fen may or may not be disappointed at what the letter says, though. "Don't take this the wrong way....but...you did look awfully nice last month when you and your friends made a scene with that snowball fight. Hope this makes the other girls jealous! -Esme and Mirabelle Weatherly"

23:57 &lt;Fen_Mcroth&gt; Fen's memory is kinda dizzy, as he try to remember..."Esme and Mirabelle....oww...heck i don't remember."-Either way, there are Delicious Muffins and he must eat them, and what else is better to help memory than a couple of muffins?

23:58 &lt;Fen_Mcroth&gt; Making another girl Jealous...heck i can't understand girls...

23:59 &lt;Fen_Mcroth&gt; -Not giving it more importance, Fen finish the muffins, and go outside while reading the card for like 34th time...

00:01 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6And...well, Fen's not unattractive. And the card certainly does its job. People notice. He's becoming popular with the ladies, it seems. Or at least more well-noticed. The day will pass by uneventfully, except for an incident involving a crazed cow from Seamus's pasture hurting someone. Seems they weren't as calm as they looked. Scene change. That evening:

&lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6Training!!!!! How's Fen gonna go about his training!?

00:06 &lt;Fen_Mcroth&gt; It's a bit Late for the morning Run up, maybe because of the work, Fen takes out his old man's greaves and Gauntlets, pour sand into them for making them heavier, and then grabs a huge bag full of sand, charging the bag in his shoulders, he starts to run, knowing than the extra weight will make a huge improve in his strength someday, his route includes making 5 runs around the town, and usually takes a few hours

00:08 - Joined: Charm (cardshark3@sux-24357FE1.hsd1.in.comcast.net)

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00:14 - Abel_Niven changes nick to Airman

- Airman has quit IRC: Quit:

00:15 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6The workout is hard. Mostly because as soon as it starts getting dark...it gets cold. Is he awesome enough to do this? Also: Is he awesome enough to do this in style? After all, this is part of the reason why he's getting noticed more.

00:18 * Fen_Mcroth is feeling the pain, is harder than before, "That's why my gramps tell me to train in the morning...heck my bones are freezing..., i've done this before...i can do it again!" -Recursing to his burning determination and smoldering soul, Fen starts to Run, making a big effort to make the first run, and also trying to not show any signs of pain in the process"

00:21 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6First lap down! Not too shabby! But it only gets worse from here. It gets colder now. However, it seems that many young women are peeking out their windows, looking at you now...at least one girl shouts out "Do your best, Fen!", though you're not sure who did.

00:23 * Fen_Mcroth is trying to ignore the pain, and the cheers certainly help!! he doubles the effort! quickly starting to run making the second lap, sadly his body is wearing off, but he tells to himself "Heck, i can do it!!! god dammit, i bet there are Harder things to do if i want to be a hero! This WON'T Stop me!!!" and roaring from his very soul, he races to finish the second lap!

00:24 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6But here it seems, that the weather conspires to ruin your workout. As now, it seems that a very light mist has formed, making things even MORE chilling!

00:27 * Fen_Mcroth is starting to wear off... But the cold can chill his bones and muscles, but it won't froze his untamed and burning soul! ignoring the pain, and willing to take damage from this, he pushes his body to endure more and try to finish and don't get lost in the mist at the same time.

00:28 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6It's probably a good thing that they don't see Fen starting to falter as the weather gets worse, mostly because of poor visibility conditions. And here is where things get bad. The mist becomes a dense fog, making it hard to see anything.

00:30 * Fen_Mcroth thinks "This is ridiculous..." -Where...Where i am?- He resolves that walking for a bit of rest and a way of findind the way back home should be a idea, he starts to run slower, a bit afraid that a bear or a wolf should attack him.

00:31 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6In fact....getting home is quickly becoming the primary problem here. Because it starts to rain. And it's FREEZING. Freezing enough to be very dangerous if you're out for long.

00:32 &lt;Fen_Mcroth&gt;. . . &lt;Fen_Mcroth&gt; Heck, this is bad... &lt;Fen_Mcroth&gt; and worst...why i can't stop talking to myself when i'm in trouble!

00:33 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6Oh, don't worry! This trouble is bad enough that Fen will stop talking to himself when he becomes too weary and chilled to remain conscious. He goes unconscious.

00:35 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6He'll wake up in Martha's cottage when morning comes. The woman is looking at him with a grim look upon her face. There's a girl there, maybe a year or so younger than Fen, a small slip of a thing, with wide eyes. "He's awake!", she'll say, a relieved smile working itself on her face.

&lt;Fen_Mcroth&gt; uhmm... M..Martha? what i'm doing here?

00:36 * Fen_Mcroth is still a bit dazed and really sore

00:38 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6Martha, for her part, looks pissed. "You're here because you're an idiot. I don't know what kind of crazy training your asshole grandfather advocates....but don't do that again. You'd be dead if it weren't for my niece here.", Martha will get up and leave the room. "I'm getting some sleep now....Natalie, please make sure that this young man gets home safely."6, and...well, Fen will be walked home by a cheerful girl who

&lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6 will gladly tell him how she was watching him, and grew worried when he continued despite the weather....

00:39 &lt;Fen_Mcroth&gt; Oh.. *Fen blushes heavily, half embarrased and the other half because of the cute girl* heck... umm...thanks..i guess

CHAPTER 5: Tom and the Secret Admirer
00:43 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6Time: Morning. Thomas will be woken up. Because there's a huge ruckus in his house, and tons of squealing and laughing. "Thomas, wake up!", he'll be woken by his sisters barging into his room. "Go look in the mailbox!"


 * Thomas_Blackstone rolls over, cocooned in the blanket... "Wwhhaaa?"

00:44 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6"Someone sent you a love letter!", oh, and he'll be poked, prodded, and pushed to get up and outside into the mailbox as soon as possible. Because this is big news, of course.

00:46 * Thomas_Blackstone is not a lite sleeper... He crawls out of bed, fending off his sisters... "What? Alright, alright... This is some kinda joke, isnt it?" points at the youngest. "I KNOW your hand writing... you better not have tried anything."

00:47 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6It's definitely not from any of his sisters. It's too fancy. Oh, no. This looks to be really expensive, with cream colored paper, gold lettering, perfumed, and it's even sealed with a lipstick kiss.

00:48 * Thomas_Blackstone goes into a dumbfounded shock, reading it over and over... who the hell would send this?

00:52 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6The letter is composed onto cream colored paper, while the letters are embossed in gold. It even smells of faint perfume. It reads "To the one I adore most: I cannot reveal myself, but I cannot contain my feelings for you any longer. Someday, I will work up the courage to talk to you. Love: An anonymous friend.

00:55 &lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; "This has got to be a trick... Ive gotta find out who sent this..." He has a habit of talking to himself loudly..." So he gets back inside, changes into his normal clothes, and gets to sleuthing.

00:58 * Thomas_Blackstone comes running up to Sammy, out of breath. "OY!"

01:00 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "Tom" a bit surprised "I already delivered the mail to your house" I say as I place a letter in a mailbox.

&lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "Were you expecting something?"

01:01 * Thomas_Blackstone looks at her with utmost seriousness, his face red. "Who sent it?"

&lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "sent what?"

01:02 * Thomas_Blackstone sputters "You know. It was the only thing in the box."

01:08 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "I delivered a large envelope and a notification of census letter today. I had to do the latter by hand, so i didn't put anything into the box" I respond while putting a new letter in a new box, this one bright red with flower pedals glued to it.

01:09 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; though considering the day, i'm not the only mail carrier around

&lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; "Look kinda like this?" Holds up the envelope.

01:11 * Sammy_Carrion takes a glance. "nope, didn't carry it. personally with all the hub-bub today, i'm sure that someone could have seen your mystery girl."

01:12 &lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; "Ask Nyssa. She was salting the roads when I started rounds"


 * Sammy_Carrion gets a slightly annoyed look on her face

&lt;Sammy_Carrion&gt; though not from Tom

01:13 &lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; "Ahah!! Yes, Nyssa... as a member of the town watch, she'll be BOUND to tell me who put the letter in there... But what happened to the other letter?" He's talking to himself again... He runs off to track her down.

01:16 * Nyssa_Pritchart is currently at the town guard building when she spots Thomas approaching. With a little "Eep!

&lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "

&lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; She decides to try and hide somewhere inside.

01:18 * Thomas_Blackstone walks up to a guardsman, something that he wouldnt actually do in normal circumstances... "Hey, you see Nyssa anywhere? Ive gotta ask her something."

01:19 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6The guard will reply. "I think she's in the station. I could get her if you need something..is it important?"

01:20 &lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; "Utterly important." He has an intense look on his face.

01:24 &lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; "... If you go get her, Ill tell you who stole Old Wilmer Wilkes favorite hoe..."

&lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6The guard will disappear into the building and then come back out a short while later, a puzzled look on his face. "Well...I thought she was here. But...I can't find her anywhere. And....you know who stole that hoe?"

01:26 &lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; "Uh, Wilhem Burns... but dont tell anyone I told you." he darts around the side of the watchhouse, looking for tracks in the snow.

01:28 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6"I'll be right back...I need to tell someone about this...", and the man will disappear inside the building. As for tracks...it doesn't seem like there are any. But then, if there were tracks...this place is pretty well-walked.

01:29 &lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; "She's avoiding me... but why?" He taps his chin as he looks around "Perhaps one of her FRIENDS sent the note, and she's trying to cover for her..." He wracks his brain, thinking of where she might be hiding.

01:30 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6The guard seems to be taking his sweet-ass time inside.

01:31 &lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; "Oh, that rotten..." He walks into the building...

01:32 &lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; scratch that.

&lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; He Sneaks into the building... the guards hiding her.

01:36 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6Thomas will creep in, presumably through the side entrance. There doesn't seem to be much of a presence back here. Just a hallway with doors.

01:39 * Thomas_Blackstone removes his shoes before entering, tieing them to his belt, so that he can silently creep into the building

01:42 * Thomas_Blackstone pads in, trusting in his instincts, picking a door at random and slooowly opens it a crack, peering in.


 * Thomas_Blackstone listens at the door first, of course.

01:44 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; Thomas will hear footsteps down the hallway, a jingling of keys, and whistling. Someone's coming into the hall!

01:48 * Thomas_Blackstone slips into the room, closing the door silently, before looking for a window to bolt out of if things get hairy.

01:49 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6This is about the time that the guard captain goes into his office, where Nyssa is hiding. "What's the meaning of this? ...You know, I'm not going to ask. Get out of my office and take the rest of the day off, Nyssa. I don't want to see this again."

01:50 - Sammy_Carrion changes nick to dungeonfag

&lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "Eep! S-sorry, Captain!" Nyssa runs out of the office and starts quickly moving somewhere where.

&lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; else*


 * Thomas_Blackstone listens at the door, listening for any suspicious sounds on the other sound.

01:51 &lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; *side

&lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6The door closes behind Nyssa. And Thomas could hear all of that.


 * Thomas_Blackstone grins, cracks open the door and slips out, padding after her...

01:52 * Nyssa_Pritchart is moving, really, REALLY fast to get to another hiding spot.

01:55 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "Gotta go somewhere...I know!" Nyssa ducks into a storeroom for the building.

&lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; Unfortunately, she's a littla too loud as she slams the door...

01:56 * Thomas_Blackstone slips out the door right as she gets ready to run. "HE--- hey." he quickly cuts off his excited yell as he spots her "Hold on!" he goes after her "I gotta talk to you!" he slips into the store room with her.

01:58 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "Ah! T-Thomas! I wasn't e-expecting you here..." Nyssa's face is burning a bright red. "H-how'd you get in, you KNOW non-guard members aren't allowed without permission..."

01:59 * Thomas_Blackstone SUDDENLY remembers this... and moves around so that she's between him and the door. "Yeah, ok, whatever... Hey, I gotta ask you something... I know you were out salting the streets around my place this morning..."

02:01 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "Y-yeah? And?"

02:03 * Thomas_Blackstone holds up the letter between two fingers, drawing it from his belt a little too dramatically. " I know you know the answer... Do you know who put this in my mailbox?"

02:04 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "I-I can't tell you that! You know, it's supposed to be a secret!"

02:06 &lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; "Oh, C'MON!! I've snuck into the watchhouse, for crissakes... at least give me something!"

02:09 * Nyssa_Pritchart 's eyes are darting from side to side looking for an escape, even though it's clear there isn't. "I, I can't! I'll die of embarassment before I tell you who send that letter." Her face is blazing scarlet now.

02:11 * Thomas_Blackstone sighs "Oh cmon, how bad can it be? ... It's Amy, isnt it?"

02:13 * Nyssa_Pritchart squeals in absolute horror as she bumps a shelf really hard - it begins falling!

02:14 * Thomas_Blackstone pushes her out of the way and trips in the process, just about falling on top of her.

02:16 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "Oof!" Nyssa is pinned by Thomas, still squealing in embarrassment.

&lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "Alright! Alright! I GIVE! IT WAS ME!"

02:17 * Thomas_Blackstone looks at her, dumbfounded. "Huh?"

02:19 &lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; 1d6 Roll to avoid mental bluescreen of death


 * Nyssa_Pritchart looks really embarrassed as she attempts to cover her face with her hands. "Alright! It was my letter! Honest! Don't tell anyone else, pleeeeeeeease, I didn't want anyone to know!"

02:20 - dungeonfag changes nick to Sammy_Carrion
 * Thomas_Blackstone is still not aware thats he's ontop of her. "Uh... really?"

02:21 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; Really! Honest!

&lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; I couldn't work up the courage to tell you, but I was hoping to at least let out some of my feelings...that's why I wrote it.

02:24 * Thomas_Blackstone blinks a couple of times, realises where is, then jumps to his feet, going red. "You... " he grins a little "Like me?" he says wryly.

02:26 &lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; "... Enough to tamper with the mail even..."

02:27 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "Y-yeah..." Nyssa places her hands onto her heart. "I was hoping it'd be a secret a little longer...but it's true."

02:30 &lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; "... You know how much Ive been freaking out over this? Every year... the same goose chase... the sisterly tauntings..." he starts chuckling.

02:31 * Nyssa_Pritchart giggles as well.

02:32 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "I like you...a lot...Tommy." As if on cue,she surprises him with a hug.

02:34 * Thomas_Blackstone blushes and sheepishly hugs back... "I... I guess I like you too&gt;"

02:35 &lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6And well, at this point, fate conspires against the two teens. Who are inside a dark closet. Alone. Because that's what happens. There's a jingling of keys audible from outside the room.

02:36 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "Eep! Wh-what now!?" Nyssa immedately freaks the hell out.

&lt;Thomas_Blackstone&gt; "Eep." he instinctually jumps behind a crate.

02:37 * Nyssa_Pritchart is going to follow you as well.

02:38 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "This is bad, really, really bad..."

&lt;Parasitologist&gt; 6The door is opened. And...well, there's only so much one can do while hiding when the room is so small. One of the younger members fo the guard is in here, holding a clipboard, and....he exhales. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't see this. Make sure to take inventory when you guys are done.", and he simply lays the clipboard down on the floor and shuts the door.

02:39 &lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; ...


 * Thomas_Blackstone starts laughing his ass off...

&lt;Nyssa_Pritchart&gt; "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nyssa screams really loudly. "Now EVERYONE'S GOING TO KNOW!" Nyssa is going to take off and run away from that room.

EPILOGUE: Martha's Story
(8/14/09)

20:11 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6It is late in the afternoon in Martha's home. Martha has taken Amy past the business area of the house, into the back. She'll lead Amy away from this area, to a small room that the girl rarely sees...Martha's personal library. "Please, take a seat..", the woman will say, moving towards a chair herself. She's suddenly looking simultaneously pleased and serious. "You will need to tell me what it is you have done with your staff."

20:13 * Amy_Morrison follows the elderly healer into her library and takes a seat.1 "It's a lot less exciting than it may look, miss Martha..."

20:16 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "I'm sure you know my parents run a woodworking shop...I just tinkered with the lathe a bit and I came up with this. then I put on a coat of stain and lacquer..." The girl obviously missed the poinbt, thinking Martha wanted information on the craftsmanship as opposed to the magical energy running through it.

20:20 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"You miss the point entirely, child.", she continues watching Amy. "A staff is a symbol of duty, Amy. You may not know it, since this village is so quiet...but only those who are willing to use their power for others should wield something like a staff.", she would inhale, and then close her eyes. "The acquisition of a staff is the final part of a mage's apprenticeship, and it symbolizes its wielder's will and capability

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6 to serve others.", her eyes opened. "Different orders have different rules about it...but to wield such a terrible, powerful thing...things will be expected of you, Amy.", and here, perhaps, Amy might see something deeper. As if Martha might be confessing something terrible here.

20:22 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "I...I see..." Amy bowed her head quietly, not knowing what exactly what she got herself into. "I...you know I hae always given everything I've had to help other people..."

20:23 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "I really didn't think that embueing a branch with some minor magical storage capabilities would be such a large...commitment."

20:27 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"It is more than that, Amy. To wield such a tool...a symbol...to wield such power. Staves are all regulated and accounted for, you know. But it is more than that. You will have the ability to help many people...and you will also have the ability to hurt.", Amy might not think it is a big deal. But to the formally inducted, it is another thing. To Martha, a staff is more than a tool. "You will be called upon, and expected

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6 to solve everyone's problems, no matter how foolish. Is that something you can deal with?", Martha's green eyes fix upon Amy.

20:29 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "Why...why would people use magic to hurt others? they have swords and axes and maces for that!" Amy was probably a bit naive, and wasn't exactly sure why this was such a big deal...

20:30 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "I mean, I cam only do so much, people can't call on me to save the world! I'm just a kid!

20:32 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; Martha gets the feeling Amy is a bit...shall we say ovewrwhelemed by this whole affair

20:34 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"Amy...sometimes there are people you have to hurt. And a person wielding much power can kill many people...they can turn the tide of wars...", Martha turns. She goes for a simple tapestry hung upon the wall. She pulls it aside, and runs a hand against the wooden wall. It parts willingly, revealing a staff composed of two pieces of intertwining, twisted wood. Something impressive, that would have to be grown, rather than

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6 cut and shaped. "One day you will no longer be a child. What will be your excuse, then? What will you do when your kingdom calls upon you for war?", Martha takes the staff, and sets it down on the floor.


 * Amy_Morrison lets her mind probe the staff, trying to guage just how much power is in the thing.

20:35 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6If Amy does that, she'll find that it seems to be an inert, though definitely magical wooden object.

20:36 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "I'm not a fighter..."Amy says. "I never have been and I probably never will be. When I grow up I will be a lot better with my healing; I can't be useful on a battlefield but that doesn't mean I won't have value.

&lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "If people need my help, I will help them. But killing another person because someone else demands it..." She's visibly distraguth by the idea.

20:38 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "...I just...I couldn't do it..."

20:41 &lt;parasitologist&gt; Martha continues watching Amy, holding the staff calmly. "There are duties we all must perform. Just because we've been free of war for forty or so years does not mean that things will be peaceful forever. And you will be called upon before all others. To wield a staff means that your life does not belong entirely to yourself. If you remain unattached to a knightly order, you may be free of those duties...but people will

&lt;parasitologist&gt; look to you for help. And you will still be called upon for war."

20:43 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "What do you mean, 'called upon?" Amy looks at Martha, tears welling in her eyes. "I...I...oh no...Miss Martha, what have I done?" Failing to hold back the tears any longer, Amy starts sobbing, her tears dripping onto the floor.

20:49 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"Do not cry, child. That is not a true staff. Watch.", and Martha will tap the staff against the floor. The woman's eyes will glow bright blue, and the wood composing that staff will move, animate. It holds its form, but it grows, fruits, blooms, and withers, becoming a kaleidoscope of animated seasons. "This. This power here is the result of years of hard work...it is a refined tool of war...of power. With this staff...I

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6 could cause the entire forest to wither, or will a field of grass to rise up and choke a hundred men. I could also build houses with no effort, or cause a barren swamp to become a forest.", the woman is glowing. She looks frightening. Powerful. And then.....the glowing stops. The staff ceases its movement and becomes plain again, and Martha is her old, dignified self again.

20:50 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 14"But that power is too much for me. I grew tired of it. I shall not wield that thing ever again."6, Martha's eyes finally move away from Amy.

20:52 * Amy_Morrison is too shocked and scared to really process any of what Martha was saying, still sobbing almost uncontrollably. "I...I can't imagine that much power...why...why w-w-ould you ne-need to be able t-t-t-to do that?"

21:00 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Perhaps Martha had gone too far. "Because when I was your age, child, we were at war. And war means more than individual people. There are a whole many bad things...and when I was your age, I was talented...and eager to prove myself against those bad things.", she nodded. "In ten years, I had progressed from shaping battlefields and setting traps, to single-handedly striking down infantry formations, to directly fighting

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6 other mages...and it wasn't all bad, either. I saved lives...townships that would have been sacked, destroyed were preserved by my hand. I helped people. I was respected by my friends, and feared by my enemies. You understand, child..don't you? That if nobody went to war, that we would not be alive to speak right now.."

21:02 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "We...we wouldn't?" Clearly that one went over the girl's head as she desperately tried to hold back the tears and focus and summoning a calming aura around her body, anything to let her gather her mind...

21:08 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"No. We would all be dead, and at the hands of a madman. The war might have been small...and distant, but it was absolutely necessary, the fight against Aristarchus and his followers. And if we hadn't won...you'd better believe that nobody would be alive right now...the things I saw...", Martha shakes her head. "Well, nothing I saw was worse than what I came back to."

21:10 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "But wait..." Amy seems to have come out of her magical trance, able to beat back her tears for the time being.

21:11 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "If no one went to war, how would anything have happened? people would have stayed peaceful..." She seems to have once again missed the concept entirely.

21:13 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 14"No, Amy. Aristarchus was insane. And he had the power to make his will a reality, like I do. And he had followers. Those people...they wanted to kill everything. They slaughtered people indiscriminately....and then...made them come back...as monsters. They thought that this was a better existance than life."6, Martha was scowling. The girl could be oblivious.

21:14 * Amy_Morrison pondered that last statement. She still didn't pick up the difference between "a world without war" and "a world full of peace" but she nodded anyway. "I think I get it..."

21:15 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "No person can take control of the entire world, so if someone tries everyone must pull together to prevent it?"

21:17 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 14"Yes. Magic is a very good, but very terrible thing. A single person may be able to help many with magic...but they can also hurt. And when one mage goes bad....it is up to all of us to pull together to fight him. Just as it is everyone's duty to fight other threats. After all...if a pack of rabid wolves came into the village and tried to hurt people...you would use your magic to drive them off, and failing that...kill

&lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "I thought by war you meant two old rich people making the rest of thier subjects kill each other for fun and profit...but the entire word banding together to stop a greater evil...I think I can see how that would work..."

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 14 them, wouldn't you?"

21:19 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Martha exhales. "That's not what war is about. At least...not here. We're in a more civilized age. This isn't about petty noble's disputes...that's a thing my grandparents dealt with.", the girl was thick! Perhaps this discussion was too much for her.


 * Amy_Morrison paused at the question. 1 "I certainly wouldn't try to kill them! If my magic cannot keep them from coming, I would want to disable them and cure their illness...I certainly would prefer to disable then kill if I could..."

21:22 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"I won't criticize your methods. Those are choices for you to make.", just as she hadn't told Amy that her magic needed work, what with neglecting the anaesthesia, she wouldn't criticize her hypothetical response. 14"But...I will hope you will wait at least another year before you continue with what you are doing. You're not ready yet. It is of my opinion that you should not wield such power unless you are entirely sure

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 14 that you are capable of handling such power, and what it entails.", Martha shook her head. "That's why I no longer wield mine, after all.", and she'll move back to the compartment in her wall, placing the staff within. The wood warps itself back into a featureless wall, and she lets the tapestry move back into place.

21:25 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "I...I see..." Amy said, the gravity of the situation finally dawning on her. "But really I wasn't able to do much. From what I've found out all it can do is store a small bit of my magical energy, a supply I can call on when I would need it desperately. I never knew..."

21:27 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "It's certainly not like the staff you have...this one just lets me use more magic in a crisis, should it come to that..."

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 14"That is my fault. I saw a little girl who was both talented and compassionate...and I couldn't help but see a bit of my husband in you.", Martha smiled. The woman has long been a widower, and everyone knows this. "Continue working on what you're doing...I doubt you will figure out the final secret to staff-making on your own, anyways."

21:28 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"I should have taught you more of history...and duty, though.", Martha shakes her head. "Then again...this village is quiet...innocent. It would be a shame for more than a few people here to have the real weight of the world upon them..."

21:29 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "R-right...I understand..." She still has her doubts though..."I do have a question though..."

21:30 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"Then speak it, Amy."

21:31 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "I'm just...what you said earlier, about how you said you at first saw me as having talent and compassion..." She got chokied up and couldn't continue, but her intent was clear. Was Martha saying she didn't have those traits?

21:33 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"Well...you do, don't you?"6, Martha looks confused. Has she insulted the girl?

21:34 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "I...thought that..." She was a bit confused, but alightly releived at that statement...

21:35 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"You thought what?"

21:36 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "It's nothing..." Amy tried to backtrack, she thought something she shouldn't have..

21:37 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"Amy...we're having a frank discussion here. Now out with it.", Martha frowned. What the hell was the girl going to say that had her backtracking like this?

21:39 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "It's just that...I thought maybe you were saying that..." She tried to find out how to dance around the question as tactfully as possible. "that I didn't have what it would take to be a magic user..."

21:42 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "I mean, I know I'm young but..."

21:45 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6"Anyone who's not an idiot can use magic, Amy. It's another thing to carry around a tool that can allow you to live for hundreds of years, flatten buildings, and turn men inside-out.", wasn't this obvious? "I don't know if you have what it takes, though. And it's none of my business whether you decide to get educated in the capital and become an agent of the throne, or whether you join a knightly order, or choose to stay

&lt;parasitologist&gt; 6 here and use your powers, staff or no.", these were things Amy had to figure out.

21:47 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "I understand, Miss Martha..." For the first time in a while, amy looked at the older woman, her bright blue eyes sparkling once again with that brilliant radiance of confidence. "I can't see myself leaving everything I've ever known...I want to find my own path, my own way..."

21:50 &lt;parasitologist&gt; 6Martha smiled. This girl was everything she hadn't been, but now wished she'd been in her youth. "Good. Then get out of here. And never mind the ramblings of some old has-been knight. I'm speaking out of turn, and saying worrisome things I shouldn't be saying."

21:53 &lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "Yes Miss Martha!" Amy said, in a cheery voice so standard for the girl but so far today had been all but lost.

&lt;Amy_Morrison&gt; "And...thank you..."