Mara-Kuru appears off to one side of the throne room, supporting a half-lifeless Yue on her arm. She carries him to the steps and lets him sit, babbling to herself all the while about dumb things and bravery and "oh my god is that new lip liner you whore?"

Meir'cillus looks up from the table where he and Orrin have been looking over maps, trying to figure out how a few key assault points might be attacked. Lilith's forces have taken a number of high-energy sites around the cosmos in the last few weeks, and almost every single time they've done it with low to medium power levels, almost unnoticed even by Yue's energy senses.

Orrin glances up. "How did it go? Did you get her?"

"Kindasortamaybe but not really," Mara pouts. "At least Lenocinant's out of the way. Poor Yue almost drained himself dry helping. Again." Mara smacks the incubus's cheek gently. "Bad. Where's Fel?"

"She's off trying to be sure Mi'ehna and Quava are really confident they won't have coronaries and/or injure everyone here when they summon Moorn back." Smiles at Yue. "Your mascara is smudged."

Yue looks at him, but doesn't seem to register who's talking to him.

"My mascara is flawless, you bitch," he nods. Mara beams.

"Loopy! Cool. Can you boys watch him so he doesn't swallow his tongue or anyone else's? I'm'a go bother Fel."

"Yeah, sure." The dumen nods. Looks back to the maps. He's actually damned good at multi-tasking.

Meir'cillus looks up long enough to watch her leave, half-scowling as usual. Looks back down to the map.

"There's a pattern to these assault points," he continues where he'd left off. "Every place seems to be uninhabited, maybe more importantly undefended, with plenty of elemental signatures. Fire here," he points to a volcanic planet, "water, wind, so forth. There's a certain kind of bird native to every one of those spots, according to Yoru. Normally I would pay no mind to them, but the climates are too extreme to naturally support the same bird. What do you think?"

"It's worth investigating. We need to get someone elementally aligned to look at each of them. Dewei may be a good candidate, and he finished his last assignment 'yesterday.'"

"Well. We can't send him to places they've taken already," the drow grumbles, "but if this bird nonsense proves accurate, we'll be better off. We can plot a point, perhaps send Yoru with him. She is water aligned, is she not?"

"Heavily so, yes."

"Wonderful. I will suggest this to her. See if you can flag down your child." Meir turns, never one for waiting, and wanders off to find Yoru.

Meanwhile, Felina takes a moment to catch her breath alone after an intense set of interactions. She doesn't even begin to blame these two for how they feel, of course, but goddamn do they make her life difficult on this matter.

"How'd it go?" She inquires as a certain double approaches.

"Yue's hurt," Mara reports with a snap and salute for Felina. "Lenocinant's destroyed, though, and Yin'ixerjiggy is thinkin' about it. Also, there was this cute little bitty Serinian guy with her who acted rilly funny when he saw me." Mara bristles a little bit, and poses like a surfer. "Not that he shouldn't have!"

Felina smiles a bit. "Menayen. I knew him...well, you know how long ago. He has a natural lifespan. I got called away by something or other and didn't see him again until right towards the end of his life, solidly after you met him. He was probably reaction to the fact that you look like me." Shifts her weight. She's getting bigger, damn the luck. Not as bad as last time, since she's only carrying one, but...she's a serinian. Seven-month gestation period, and shows easily. Expression fades. "And...Yue? Hurt how?"

"His energy signature feels really ripped up. He gave his demon power to Yin to fight Lenocinant, and she got her butt kicked on some in the dreamscape I think." Mara beams again, glancing at Felina's feet. "Mommy needs to sit down. She and Yue will be just fine with a day of rest."

Felina nods a bit. "Stands to reason. Yue's more powerful than most other lust devils, but unless there's something we've missed, shouldn't have known how to control it." Smiles a bit at Mara. "I'll be okay. Pregnancy is where having been a fitness freak pays off." Chuckles. Thinks. Worried about Yue, will check on him shortly. Meanwhile....

"What about Yin's energy? Did you get a chance to look into it a little bit more, see if there's more to her resemblance to Ai than coincidence?"

"Well, uh, to be honest I kinda forgot because there was so much else going on at the time plus she was being difficult bitsh I couldn't believe she didn't wanna help even though she had hotness on her arm and I dunno." Her smile fades a bit. "I'm sorry, my love."

"You did great, Mara." Felina smiles at her. "Thanks. What's the rest of the day look like for you?"

"I'm gonna go visit Gabriel's grave and take him a cookie." Mara sits on a ledge, kicking her feet like a little girl on a swing. "Then... I don't really know. I might check into this Alouette. I have a bad feeling about someone Lenocinant was so dead after."

Felina nods. "Sounds like a good plan, Mara. Also, I have some good news for you...if I can get it cleared with these two without some kind of major meltdown, we're going to push forward summoning him back here. We think a rumour got started somehow that he's still alive, so it's a worry that Lilith's crew will find out where."

Mara glances down the way, where Mi'ehna and Quava sit, talking quietly about trivial things. Her ears press back, way back.

"I don't like it, my love. The pink one is a frigging looney and she's got way too much power potential to let run around with all these super-badasses nearby. I trust your Malufel more than her."

"I don't either." Felina shakes her head a little bit. "She's not a bad person, but unstable as all the hells, and that's even more dangerous. I really don't know what to do with her. If we were to have Ichei put her in one of the slow rooms like Meir'cillus's troops, Quava and Drianis would both have to go too...and worse, if Lilith somehow got ahold of her after, she'd be actively against us. Getting the three of them to sit it out that way really is the best option...bringing Moorn back isn't optional, for multiple reasons, so I'm still hoping to convince them to willingly enter a state of slowed time. Step into a room for one second and it's all over, one way or the other, and they didn't have to deal with Gabriel." She sometimes slips and calls him this, habit from listening to Mara.

Mara actively appreciates it, too, but has always assumed Felina only did it to humor her. "We can figure it out. I'm not sure how this is ever gonna end without coming down to us versus Lilith, though, my love. We can't keep taking places without ever butting heads."

"Of course not." Felina shakes her head. "As aggressive as Lilith has been, it's only a matter of time...and, more than that, my seeing has been poking me that the open conflict is coming soon. None of our intelligence indicates why, though, and my visions don't either...so, I'm curious as to what the lead-up is. I've always assumed that Stasiel would be targetted first, followed by the piddling undead faction, and finally hitting Pretender."

"Oh!" Mara hops off the ledge. "Pretender! Right! Sxavior was helping Yin!"

Felina's brow creases a touch, before this smooths. "Really...I see. That's extremely interesting. Pretender, as a rule, doesn't involve her forces in anything but the divine, and if I recall, Yinxirziji is a just vampiric dragoon as far as we know. We need to make sure the girl is defended and take a good look at this next time we see her closely."

"Mara is on it!" The redhead leaps up, dashes into the next room, and comes pattering back out a second later.

"Um... that's a bathroom." She smiles.

Felina smirks. "On...Ai's brownies, then. Check."

"Hey. I saw that remark." Mara smiles again.

About the time Yoru comes waddling through, looking for Dewei. 

"Have you seen your son," she asks of Felina. "Yoru has a question for him."

"I believe he's asleep, Yoru. He's tired from his latest recon." Felina looks back to the third-of-a-kind serinian. "Is it something I can help with?"

"The purple gentleman asked Yoru to have a look at a water planet. Yoru thought she should ask him to come along, in case she misses something." The dark-haired, slightly taller kittychick holds up a stack of comics. "Plus, Yoru has run out of comics."

Felina smiles, amused. "I'll see if we can't get more somewhere. In the meantime, have you considered taking Ting? If you can get her to pay attention for more than three seconds, she should be able to spot for your just as well as her brother."

"That is a good idea, Felina! Yoru will do precisely that." She turns to walk away, pauses, turns back around and shuffles a step closer. "Have you seen Ting?"

Grins. "She's over teasing the big gargoyle near the throne room."

Yoru gives a little nod, swivels about and heads for said throne room, in search of one Ting.

Ting, as predicted, is about three rooms from Ansendul's throne and harassing the hell out of a giant, fire-spewing guardian beast...mostly because it's not sentient and just interested in eating her. She has more than her share of duties, but keeps to herself more and more once they're done.

Yoru wanders around until she happens upon Ting, opens her mouth to say hello, and nearly gets cooked in the process. She dodges to one side, almost totally encased within a bubble of water that leaves trails of steam screaming to the ceiling.

"Ting! Yoru does not want cooked!"

Ting blinks from where she's sitting on her naginata high in the air. "But...this is the best place for it!"

"Apparently! Does Ting want to go exploring a water planet with Yoru?" Mara's dark half straightens up, beaming her pleasant little smile at Ting. "There will be no cake, but it might save us some grief."

"Aww...I was having fun." Little water bubble smacks into the thing's butt. "Okay, I'm done! Let's go!"

Yoru nods, and heads back toward the main hall. Yue's lying across the steps now, gazing placidly at nothing. Yoru doesn't seem to notice.

But, of course, Yue is one of Ting's favorite people. More than before, recently. Thus, she bounces right over to him...almost pounces, but her hands end up on either side of him and not a touch of weight actually sets onto the incubus. "Hiya, hottie! You're energy's non-hot! You okay?" Pokes his nose.

His eyes just move to acknowledge her. "Feeling dry," he just says to her. "I feel strange, Ting. Different."

Ting tilts her head. Doesn't look worried, it's not the way she operates. Just beams. But she is. "How do you mean, cutie?" Pats his shoulder.

"I feel like I'm two people, somehow," Yue answers, shoving himself up to sit straight. "And..." he looks at Yoru. "Could you give us a second?"

Yoru traipses away without a word. She's not too interested anyway.

"Ting, I'm a girl."

"Dude, you're a bigger girl than me! I mean...er...wait, you mean like, technically? Can I grope you?"

"If you think it's necessary," Yue half-smiles. "I don't know what happened, but it happened while my infernal nature was with Yin."

Of course she thinks it's necessary. She's partially Mara's daughter. She grabs his junk through his skirt...except she manages to grab no junk. "Eep!"

Gets off of him to restore some sense of decorum, sitting beside his head. "Dude...I mean non-dude...I know the girl thing is a good thing but wasn't this really bad that last time it happened 'cause you only had half your power 'cause it went with your boy half 'cause Dorian is a dork and 'cause out of 'causes."

"How much do you know about Incubii, darling...?"

"I know you're one! An' you have to wander down to hell occasionally and you have rules to follow but it's fun times, too! Dream fun. But apparently incubi don't have to be born that, because someone I know was born an angel!" Pokes his side gently. She pokes him a lot. He's ticklish.

He squirms a little, but looks at her. "Ting. Lenocinant was trying to impregnate Yin." Looks at her. Please understand, please don't make me explain.

Ting blinks. Wrinkles her nose. Creeepy. "Creeepy. Why? Also, isn't she like, a vampire and not the best choice for that stuff?" She remembers this detail because of a longstanding "vampires are hot" fixation.

"No. Something in her physiology is different, I think... that golden spell. I don't know that she could carry a child, but has a better chance than others." Yue leans back, feeling so tired, so tired. "I don't know what to think, Ting."

"I'm really confused," Ting whines. "Didn't we think she was, like...in danger? I mean like bang dead danger? And what does that have to do with your balls getting sucked in? And...well. You know what? Imma drag you off to bed now. You need it. You can worry about it later." Pats his hair, and jumps up to her feet in the springy way Ting tends to.

"Tingy," Yue whines, as he sometimes does, "I should never have been able to carry a child! Succubi become Incubi when they're impregnated. They pass the seed into a mortal woman to have a child and turn right back to Succubi. This should never have happened."

As the demon speaks, Ting shoves her off the step...though he doesn't fall. Just floats along like on a cloud-soft structure, and Ting gives her a solid shove to get her started down the hall towards her room.

Then sits on her belly, riding along.

"Okay, you lost me. I'm the strong one, you remember, not the smart one. Succubi...become incubi when impregnated. But...you started as an incubus, yes? Aren't some guys naturally guys, no freaky boy-pregnancy involved?"

"My physiology is different, Ting..." Yue actually doesn't react too heavily to Ting's shove. He's used to that kind of thing from her. "And my essence was inside of Yin. I don't know how better to explain it." He lets his muscles relax. Just... lets it all go.

Ting's eyes widen. "Dude! Are you saying that you got this Yin chick pregnant?"

Yue sits up, but slings his arms around Ting before she falls off him.

"Ting, no, no! Lenocinant's seed came back to me when I got my infernal essence back from Yin. It turned me into this!" He's all but shrieking, really, really beginning to lose it.

Ting blinks. Okay...first thing's first. A hand sets to either side of Yue's head, thick with calming magic. "Shhh shh shh. Dun worry, Yue. We'll figure it you. Promise! Butcha got to relaxt right now."

Mara-Kuru pops into sight nearby, eyes wide, possibly followed by Felina. She's not sure; Fel has a way of figuring things out before going.

"Who's screaming everything okay Ting did you kick his nardicles again?" Mara looks at them, concerned.

Yue does relax, bit by bit, but doesn't let Ting loose. Clings to her all the more, in fact.

"Not this time," Ting purrs. Doesn't say that's for a lack of nardicles. That's for Yue to say.

Sure enough, Felina follows a step behind. "Is everything all right?"

Mara glances at her double. "Yue's upset over summit."

The incu-succu-who-knowsubus just hugs Ting, eyes closed. "I just want to rest now," she whispers. "Please, Ting."

Ting beams at her elders. "Talk to you later then!" And she and Yue both poof over towards Yue's room...right over his bed, actually, and drop right onto it.

Mara's ears wilt. "One disaster after another. Yue's gonna snap, you know. He wasn't that stable to begin with, but I think all this stuff he's been doing here has made him kookoo."

Felina shakes her head. "The fact that we're in the maze isn't helping. This is historically his respite from everything. He was pretty stable after his time with Amhersch, but apparently it was more superficial than I'd have liked. We've got to get this mess ended for everyone's sake. How is the trick." Sighs. "We'll leave them alone for now. I don't think Ting would have withheld it if she perceived whatever she knows as immediately dangerous...though, of course, that's banking on whether she understands the possible danger. In any case, we'll ask once he's rested."

"Right. In the meantime... whatever happened to that priestess, Rey'deyFel's name?" Mara tilts her head, and then her body, until she crashes to the floor and, of course, rolls back up.

"If Meir'cillus is awake, she's awake. I believe she's with Iscovis. She spends a good deal of time tending to other people's wounded spirits, for certain, but she keeps him company not only for his sake, but when she needs to gather herself."

"Hey... that begs a very important question, speaking of names.  How come you're not Felina DeyOrrin's name?"

Felina smiles a bit. "Pragmatism, for one. People recognize Felina Deyono and it saves a lot of repetitive explanations. Also, dumen take their wives' names, not the other way around, so it avoided the nasty 'should I drop my father's name' inward debate before it started."

"Does that mean that Gabriel... oh." Mara smiles a bit. "Nevermind. So. Food?"

Felina's expression softens a bit. Poor Mara. "Food." She nods. We'll see what they've got going in the kitchen today, and whether anyone set anyone on fire." Sets off in that direction.

Mara follows along, shortly followed by Yoru. She's got to wait for Ting, after all.

The room designated a kitchen boasts plenty of modern-day cooking gear. In fact, the entire room looks kind of like the kitchen on a star ship, with processors and food pills along with more conventional cooking methods.

Leilia Bairen sits slumped half-asleep over her table, whispering softly to herself about "what good are turnips, anyway." A pot sits on the boil, filled with some kind of creamy soup.

Mara breaths in deeply when she enters. "Smells like ass," she nods. "Very good ass, though."

"Leilia's been a blessing, yes," Felina acknowledges.

At her name, the blue-haired, green-eyed human sits up, rubbing her eyes. Looks to Mara-kuru first, then Felina, and Yoru last.

"Good morning kids," she yawns, "where's breakfast?"

"It smells ready, and lovely," Felina observes. "What have we got, Leilia?"

"Ziti and pollock in basil sauce," the human nods, still rubbing her eyes. "That was probably done ten minutes ago."

Mara peeks into the pot. "Looks edible, though."

"I'm sure it's fine. Thank you." Felina sets to dishing up two bowls...she happens to know a 'gentleman' who's neglected eating again.

Leilia nods a little. Leans back, still looking tired. She, apart from most every other person here, has felt the strain of all this on her shoulders alone. A human, skilled in a world of guns, bombs and starships but totally outmatched against monstrosities like they've seen-- cat women amongst them.

That, and she doesn't know anyone else here. In the entire time she's been here, Leilia Bairen has been nothing if not insignificant.

"Sure," she answers Felina, quietly, but not apathetically. Mara glances at her, but doesn't pay her any mind. She's just a human, after all. Mara can't figure out why she's here.

Felina smiles at her, and just leaves quietly. This is actually one of the lesser--but existant--reasons she's interested in Yin. She doesn't know why Leilia is here, but does feel that the Earthlings would get on well with her. "I believe Ting is sticking with Yue for awhile, Yoru," Felina observes. "But you two will likely be back before she wakes up, so...feel free to pull her away from your investigation."

"That is fine," Yoru says with just the slightest little smile. "Ting may stay with Yue. Yoru will go and be back before you can say shushpin eighty-five thousand times."

Felina smiles a bit, and nods. "All right. Be careful, Yoru, and quick to call if you feel any trouble coming your way, right?"

"Yoru," she smartly answers, "has learned her lesson about doing things alone. She will be right back."

And she poofs, or tries, before remembering the doors, and trots off.

Mara munches ziti and fish. "Fuckin' awesome," she purrs.

"It smells it, yes," Felina acknowledges. Thinks as they head towards where she senses Meir'cillus, who's essentially been her right hand as of late though she is letting him try to establish dominance in the pecking order of his own accord. If it's based on threat from her, it will crumble under pressure or when she's not arround. "I think, Mara, that I'm going to take over going back to see Yinxirziji from you. There are several things I'd really like to find out."

Mara pauses, slurping up her current bite.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Not in the least." Felina's quick to shake her head. This is true. "There's just something very, very strange going on there I think may be quite important to know, and as helpful as your reports and Yue's have been, something just isn't falling together right about all of this. I'm hoping a fresh eye will connect the dots."

"Moms need to stay out of trouble," Mara protests, but weakly so. Felina almost always knows best.

Felina smiles at her double. "I'll be okay," she assures. I'll be quick and keep my presence quiet...and promise to squawk at you immediately if I need help. All right?"

"Sure sure," Mara nods, beams, and goes back to eating. There's never any convincing Felina, anyway.

True, this. They finally get into the planning room she's tracked the drow to. Doesn't bother with a greeting, neither one of them are really into that sort of thing. "Meir'cillus. You've neglected eating again. Starved officers do nothing but stink and possibly twitch occasionally, you know." Sets the second bowl on the table nearby.

The drow, as usual, ignores her until he's ready to acknowledge. He doesn't do it out of spite, but is perfectly aware that bowing to Felina will do nothing put him on a tier below her in everyone else's eyes. Even if she's millenia stronger and smarter than him, that image is important.

"Thank you," he says with a hint of genuine gratitude. Just a hint, though. "Did you need something?"

"I wanted to give you a heads-up. This Yinxirziji thing is convoluting more by the moment. I'm going to step out and look into the matter myself."

Meir'cillus stands up from the table. Mi'ehna, who's sitting off to one side chatting with Ansendul about something the drow can't hear, casts a glance their way. Just a fleeting one, though.

"You should not go on your own," Meir'cillus cautions her. "Send a soldier, or take a soldier with you."

Felina nods once. "I will. 'Who' is more in question. Mara and I together would be an irresistible target should the venture leak." Sips her own soup, thinking quietly. One habit she has managed to pick up with age is to only rarely seem in a hurry, though in reality things get done quickly. "Chian and Therian like the best candidates of the moment, I think. Well. Second best. Ai is first, except that I keep hearing references to how much this vampiress resembles her. On the outside chance that there is a true relationship there, emotion may throw her off her guard. Your opinion?"

"The best way to find out a resemblance is to compare them side by side. Ai would be a good bodyguard for you, better than the others if a power-intensive conflict comes up." Meir glances down at his soup. Picks up the bowl, but doesn't eat yet. "You can't trust Therian yet, and Chian has his virtues but war sense does not seem to be among them."

Felina nods acknowledgement, thoughtful. She, as a person to about to leave, is eating. Considers. "They are valid points. My other concern about taking Ai is from Yinxirziji's side. She's expressed a fair amount of distrust and a tendency to jump to conclusions. If the resemblance really does turn out to be striking or turns out deeper still, it may be seen as a ploy and further complicate matters." Thinks. Too many wildcards, it makes her uncomfortable. "Actually, rousing my daughter may be a good option. She's neither tired nor really resting, just calming Yue, and Yue's sound asleep. Also, Ai is a more experienced guard on the outside chance that it's needed here, with Yoru and I both out. It's not vulnerable by a long shot, but it is a noteable power drop."

"Mara will still be here. Along with Malufel, Ansendul, and your father. I highly doubt they'd be foolish enough to attack here." Meir takes a bit. Ponders the food. "Ansendul has too much power here, anyway."

"Quite so." Considers. "I'll take Ting, and will let you one way or the other once we're back and any outcomes." Her soup bowl, half full a moment before, is now empty and clean, and she sets it on the table. Instant eating is not particularly enjoyable, but useful magic in a pinch. "Is there anythingn that you needed from me?"

Meir bristles a little bit. Felina has such an unerring talent at not listening when others speak, he thinks, but without actually voicing said thoughts mentally or otherwise.

"Nothing." He takes the bowl up again. "Thank you for this." And goes back to the map.

Felina nods, and, bowl vanishing as she turns to leave and retrieve her daughter. She knows that she's annoying people. But hey, she's commanding this little outfit. She's allowed to do that.

About fifteen minutes later, or the equivalent in the maze, she's alerted everyone else who needs to know--her leaving is a risk, she knows it, but she can't shake the nagging feeling that she should go--gathered her partially unwilling daughter, and taken a very, very careful look at Ai's energies remotely, commending them to memory.

All this done, they're bound for Julen City, circa a few hours after Yue had left.

Not long after, Rey'deyono wanders into the room, knocking quietly on the door-less doorframe. "Meir'cillus...?"

For that voice, he does look up immediately. "Come in, come in!"

She smiles, and heads over to where he sits. His cloak--exactly like one he used to own, the magic-types have been fastidious about providing clothing and such for their recruits--hangs over hands, and she holds it out. "Ichenrei is playing in the maze. It will be cold soon."

He accepts it, a warm smile hers. "Thank you, my priestess. Will you join me for a bit? I can't imagine a more dull entourage than those two." He glances at Mi'ehna and Ansendul.

"It would be my pleasure." She smiles, close-eyed. "And my intention, at that." Chuckles, and seats herself delicately--the frostbite damage had been repaired when Ai was instructing Minna in better directing her power--and sets a bag by her feet. Out comes, of all things, knitting materials. Cold snaps are common in the maze due to its keeper, and the activity itself both busies her and calms people for how mundane it is, her full intention. Plus, no one minds getting a sweater knitted especially for them, and it's good for morale. The current project is vividly purple, orange, pink.

"You seem tense, Meir'cillus," she observes aas she folds her sleeps back fastidiously. "Is everything all right?"

"I'm fine. Just another incidence of that blasted cat-woman ignoring good sense." Meir glances back to his map. "It's amazing how frustrating strategy can be when the commander has no ear for it."

Rey smiles slightly. "I am sure, Meir'cillus, that she has never before been accused of lacking ears." Chuckles as she sets to work with her needles. "What is she off to, at the moment?"

"To check on this Yin character. I could care less. We should be cutting the head off Lilith's force before this goes further." Meir lays a coin on part of the map. "And gets us all erased."

"It is getting more worrisome," Rey admits. "Really, quite enough aggression has been posed by their forces to constitute a violation of treaty. I believe that Miss Deyono feels the same way, actually."

"Yes, but she won't act until someone here dies. She'll go on faith, waiting and waiting." Meir shrugs his shoulders just so. "Then one of us dies. Or maybe she'll keep waiting until someone important to her dies."

Rey stitches quietly, considering. After awhile... "do you suppose that is part of why she's so keen on retrieving this Radivishe Moorn character despite the volatility of the issue? Perhaps she sees her own shortcoming on the matter. From what I have been able to gather, I certainly doubt that he would be unwilling to spearhead such a maneuver, likely in the same manner she might with a different personality." Stitch, pull. Stitch, pull.

"Maybe.I can't be sure. All I know is that they are moving and we are not." Meir turns away from the map, finally. Looks at Rey'deyono. "It's unconscionable."

"Mm. What have Pretender's and Stasiel's forces been up to as of late?" Rey inquires.

"Bickering," the drow answers. "Like fools. But they've paid more attention to Lilith's movements than surface activity would indicate."

"It would be unlike most unlike you to base such a statement on assumption, Meir'cillus," the priestess observes.

"Well, it is not entirely assumption. We have spies, but there is only so much we can do from here." The drow looks at the map again. "If it were only I here, without you, I don't think I could restrain myself like this. I would have challenged her leadership by now."

Stitch, pull. Considers. "Do you think tht you would be successful, Meir'cillus?"

"No. She would've school-boyed me back down the ladder." The drow, uncharacteristically, isn't getting too worked up about it. Her presence is everything. "I just wish we could move."

"It's hard to tell what will come of tomorrow. Well...'tomorrow.' You know." Smiles, amused."You must have plans for such, then, Meir'cillus. Tell me about them?"

He sits on the table, away from the map. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean, my priestess."

Mi'ehna ambles over about now, smiling placidly at both of them. Meir glances at her, rolling his eyes a bit when she smiles brightly for him.

Rey'deyono, of course, returns the smile. Mi'ehna has been a subject of special attention for her, since the pink-haired psychic seems to be hurting amongst the worst of anyone here in spirit...though she doesn't feel that she's been much more than humored as of yet. "Hello Mi'ehna. And how are you today?"

"Hello, Rey'deyono. I cannot complain, except for the headache." She taps her hair, gently around her temples. "It is getting to be quite a chore keeping all of these minds out of mine."

"You cannot keep them out of something nonexistant," Meir grumbles. The psychic ignores the comment.

"And you, priestess?" Mi asks.

"I am fine, thank you." Rey smiles. "Now that I've had some rest. Ting was in sore need of company earlier."

"I should think Ting is on the fastest road to cabin fever of any of us," Mi'ehna points out. 

"A fair statement," the priestess agrees. "She's far too dynamic and social to be so cooped." Also...unless she's wrong, Ting is perhaps the loneliest person here next to Leilia. "Also, too hyper."

"Ting needs attention, I think, more than anything. Do you know where she is?"

"I'm afraid not, no." Rey shakes her head a little. "I did here that Yue was injured, though. Perhaps they are together?"

"Ah... I am sorry to hear that. I cannot come too close to Yue." Mi'ehna taps her forehead again. "She is a little overwhelming. You two are much more pedestrian."

She means it as a compliment, but Meir'cillus just wants to slap the taste out of her mouth.

Rey, of course, just smiles, amused. "It's rather nice," she observes as she works, "to be considered mundane--and comparatively be such--rather than 'unique' or 'weird,' depending upon the speaker."

"So I have heard! But I cannot imagine such would be true after a time. Mundane would end up dull once you have been something else, do you think?"

Meir listens now, just listens. There's a sort of soft music in Mi'ehna's slightly-gimped grasp of the language. Her accent flows smoothly with soft sounds - she pronounces almost every 'T' as a 'D', for example - full of long vowels that give her a slow, drawling quality. It'd be endearing if it weren't so annoying.

"I really cannot say, accurately," the priestess observes as she knits. "I would imagine it may depend upon the individual. For some, it would be respite."

Mi'ehna lets her eyes linger on Rey for a bit after that, thoughtful, but not imposing. She can't help but think how lovely it would be to delve into such a mind as hers and would certainly try, were it not for fear of bottled up, jagged-edged things underneath all that neutrality.

"The Malufel told me it has begun to lose patience," Mi chirps, deciding to change the subject before it gets awkward. "It wants to play."

Rey blinks slowly. "That is certainly notable," she observes. "The Malufel is not a creature we should wish to become incorrigibly restless."

Meir'cillus, of course, is thinking about letting it loose in Lilith's territory. Just to see what happens.

"Ansendul says the monster cannot stay if it becomes too restless," the pink-haired sprite-chick agrees. "I have been talking to him about it."

"I am sure not," the priestess concedes. Her unspoken worry is that, were it turned loose, Lilith could absorb it into her forces with promises of action.

"Quava thinks it should be placed in a time-stop room," Mi goes on, eyes bright. "But the monster is the perpetuator of time. That might be the word. Time is ephemeral, a concept, right? But it prevents time from running together."

Rey can't help but smile at this, amused. "Time has been a subject of meditation for me quite a few times since coming to the maze. I have quite concluded that no sort of conclusion is going to be reached without divine aid."

Mi'ehna runs a hand through her hair. "That is true, but I meant something else. I mean to say, the monster is part of a force that holds spaces together. That is time. Your space, my space, this space, all of them. Ansendul's things do not effect the monster."

Rey nods. She's knew what Mi'ehna meant, but doesn't say this. "Further complication, then."

"It is. Listen, if you see miss Felina, please tell her I have taken the Malufel to my room to placate. But this needs her attention." Mi'ehna favors them both with her best, innocent-broken-but-repaired smile.

Meir'cillus turns away, back to the map.

"I'll do this as soon as I see her," Rey'deyono smiles, and bows her head. "Take care, Miss Mi'ehna."

Mi beams, bows, and skips away. Meir'cillus looks after her, then back at Rey'deyono.

"SHe is two thousand years old," he hisses. "She should act one hundredth her age, at least."

The priestess smiles at him, amused. "I haven't known enough two thousand year olds to know what is and isn't an expected quirk."

"She bothers me," the drow growls. "She's too sweet for her age. She should be bitter by now."

"Her moods are strange," Rey admits. She isn't off-put by the more-or-less king's mood. She never is. "I cannot help but feel that she has encountered more trouble in her life than nearly anyone here."

"That's even more unnerving, my priestess."

"I suppose it is." She only smiles more brightly. Is quiet a bit, not speaking but for the click of her needles. "Have you noticed how off-put the felines are by miss Mi'ehna? Not a dislike, really, but more of an apprehension."