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Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 5-2, What's In a Name?

The whirring, clanking, clicking mechanisms of Earth Scholars and the steam-driven devices of the Air Scholars had never been any real interest to Theo but, as he followed mutely after the rest of his party he couldn't help but think back to the marvel of engineering and enigmatic mystery that was Kesst. There were so many things the Ermine didn't know about the clockwork dragon and yet there was one thing he DID know: Kesst, despite being an automaton, was a dragon that had wings and breathed fire-- and that WAS Theo's field of study.

Perhaps the young professor simply hadn't thought about it before but, as he walked along at the rear of the group the comparisons continued to tug at his mind. Either party was all caught up in what Sanmer theatrically referred to as 'the hunt', or maybe they were just pleased that they had a lead to follow, but none of them seemed particularly focused on Theo. That suited the Ermine just fine since it gave him as much time to mull over what he knew without interruption in the form of conversation, query, or comment.

Even if Kesst WAS a mechanism and not a man there were still things to take into consideration... he'd heard from Air Scholars often enough that a body was just a machine made out of flesh and, if that WAS true then Theo would have to consider what he knew about the red dragon and see if he could somehow apply that to his studies involving the disappearance of wings and breath from many of the Mehnzilians.

Of course, the biggest question was where to start... not to mention finding a polite, reasonable, and respectable way to inspect Kesst's inner workings. The thought gave Theo a bad taste in his mouth; would he be so eager to dissect the dragon if he had been flesh and not metal? Shivering, the Ermine distracted himself by smoothing out the fur all over his body that had stood on end thanks to the line of thinking. No, there would assuredly be better ways to satisfy his curiosity. Besides, he reasoned, it would simply not be civil to do something of the sort without permission. That thought, however, brought up a much more important question, and one he couldn't avoid asking.

Theo picked up his pace and passed through the loose gathering of party members until he was walking beside Professor Blackburn. Even though the self-proclaimed shaman was the shortest of the three tribal Bears, the Ermine still barely came up to his sternum. "Professor Blackburn... could I ask you a question please?"

Although the older bear's gait never slowed, it did take a much more fluid motion to it as he turned to regard Theo, offering him an encouraging smile, "Of course. What good is knowledge if you are unwilling to share it?"

"Do you think Kesst knows what's going on?"

If the Bear's steps had not previously been so perfectly on tempo the Ermine might have otherwise missed the faint lag from one foot touching the street to the next. Professor Blackburn recovered quickly however and his expression, other than the faint quirk of an eyebrow never changed. "It's obvious in general he is very aware of what's going on around him but, if you mean does he know what's happening while he is not functioning... I could not say for certain."

Theo flicked an ear, "Men who spent days unconscious sometimes have recollections of what's happened around them. Is it possible the same might be true for Kesst?"

Enarork looked over the Shaman's head toward the Ermine, "Whether a body is made of skin or metal, stone or wood, if there is a spirit residing within then it can reach beyond its physical form and know the world."

Nicholas, despite talking with Sanmer about the pros and cons of paying for 'love', had apparently heard enough to want to weigh in, "Dunno about you guys, but the last time I passed out from too much ale I didn't have the slightest idea of what was goin' on around me."

Sanmer smirked, "Maybe, but I don't think getting drunk on massive bodily harm is the same thing as getting sloshed."

The sailor shrugged, "Yea? Well I've been through a round or two of bar brawls and lemme tell you-- if the biggest guy in the room breaks a chair over your head it's pretty much the same thing: you're out cold, you don't remember a thing, and you wake up with a massive headache. Either way, whatever happens between that final pounding and pulling yourself up off the floor isn't something you're gonna remember."

The white Fox glanced down at the top of Roaring-Flood's shoulder, who continued to act as a traveling mount. The rogue patted the Bear between the ears, "What about you? What do you think?"

Roaring-Flood gave a half-hearted shrug of his shoulders, raising Sanmer up several inches with the gesture. "After drink? No... just black.... After fight? Dunno-- I never fight and not win."

Sanmer slapped him on the shoulder, laughing. "There we go-- sounds like that's the official word on the matter."

Theo sighed, having come no closer to an answer he was seeking. Fortunately, however, he had not lost Professor Blackburn's attention. The Bear drew a step closer, offering an encouraging smile, "We can talk about this again when it's quieter... mindful thoughts work best when there is less commotion."

The Ermine smiled back, nodding to the Bear, "Agreed."

With the philosophical question of Kesst's awareness on the back burner for a time Theo was finally able to calm down and pay more attention to his surroundings... and wished that he hadn't. The neighborhood through which they were traveling had that certain something that hinted danger being around the corner... that there were people somewhere close by that meant trouble... that it wouldn't be a good place to be on the streets at night-- thankfully there were still many hours until nightfall. The Ermine realized that he shouldn't have expected anything less considering what he knew of Sanmer, but he still found it off-putting.

The Fox slid his legs out of Roaring-Flood's steadying grasp and slipped smoothly down the Bear's back, "We're almost there!"

Professor Blackburn stepped aside as Sanmer jogged on ahead, then turned to follow him, the rest of the party picking up the pace as well. The white-furred Fox continued speaking a mile a minute, presumably to nobody specific until he turned a corner and came to a complete stop. He had been holding a small key ring in his left paw, but it fell to the ground through Sanmer's numb fingers.

Roaring-Flood, who was the next to round the corner also came to a stop, cocking his head one way then the other before speaking up, "You live THERE?"

Nicholas, who was the next to turn the corner simply laughed, presumably at the Bear's comment; it earned him an icy glare from Sanmer. When Theo finally came to the intersection he gasped, putting his paw to his muzzle in surprise at what he saw: where there had presumably once been a two story building complete with tanner shop and apartment, all that remained was the burned out husk of a building with hastily constructed barricades cording the area off. Sanmer reached down and picked up the keys, lamenting mournfully "...and that was my second nicest home."

The group gathered up behind the Fox as he made his way to what remained of his residence. Theo stayed off to the side, feeling uneasy about passing the barriers that were obviously set up for the sake of safety. Professor Blackburn stayed beside him along with Enarork while the other three picked through the destruction. While Nicholas did a general pick-through of the disaster area Sanmer seemed to be focused on clearing out a particular section of rubble with the aid of Roaring-Flood.

After a few minutes of searching the Fox tugged at one of the large black Bear's leather straps, "Here we go... come on... help me with this."

From Theo's vantage he couldn't clearly see what it was Sanmer had an interest in, but it was obviously blocked by a large wooden beam. The Bear managed to shift the timber, but it wasn't until Nicholas came over to help that they managed to move it aside, revealing a slightly charred but otherwise intact trap door. The sailor glanced down at it with a smirk, "Well well well... what have we here?"

The Fox stepped onto it, crossing his arms over his chest, "It's where I do my business."

Roaring-Flood cocked his head to the side, "Business?"

Nicholas glanced at it, "So... it's a latrine?"

Sanmer rolled his eyes, "No... Business. BUSINESS."

The sailor crossed his arms, "What kind of business."

The Fox shooed the Human back, "The 'Nunya' kind."

Roaring-Flood cocked his head the other way, "Nunya Business?"

Sanmer smirked, "Exactly... now back! Back!"

The Bear and the Human returned to the rest of the group while the Fox unlocked the trap door, easing it open so he could peer inside. Sanmer's tail gave a giddy flick back and forth before he closed and rescured it. After moving some of the rubble back over the hiding spot to camouflage it, the rogue returned to the party. He stopped a few feet from everyone and put his paws on his hips, smirking confidently. "Well... he WAS here."

Professor Blackburn rested a paw on one of the barricades, "You can tell?"

Sanmer gave a single, definitive nod, "Yep."

Nicholas glanced at the Fox doubtfully, "By looking through a pile of rubble?"

The rogue shook his head and pointed, "No... by that."

All eyes went to an unobtrusive section of mostly collapsed brick wall where Sanmer had indicated. Stuck to it was a small folded piece of parchment bearing a wax seal that looked surprisingly similar to the symbol Theo had seen stamped inside Kesst. There was little doubt what the missive was and, as Sanmer went to collect it, Nicholas let out an appreciative sigh, "Well, it looks like Lady Luck's finally puttin' out."