Colin drew a map of Time's End

For those who choose to enter the Chancel, you appear inside a well tended circle of white stones, similar to the one you just left in Ireland but much better maintained. Kep is just outside the circle facing inward towards the appearing Familia. There are also four other people here. Three of them are dressed in green and wear the same sigil Kep has on their breasts. They are large men (although not inhumanly so) and they carry staves, one end of which appears to have a pad of wrapped grasses. The staves are currently being held at attention (vertically) with the wrapped end up. The men also carry daggers in their belts and small pouches made of finely woven grasses similar to the ones Kep had. They appear to be wearing some sort of finely woven grass clothing under their tunics (at least you can see it extend beneath their sleeves.) They appear to be splitting their attention between Kep and the Familia.

The fourth person is a young man, probably in his mid teens, who is sitting on a horse and holding the reins of four other horses. The boy is dressed in a clean white tunic and is carrying several pouches (some larger than those on Kep and the green men) and a horn. He is wearing a small pendant on which a design in flowers can be seen with the Flowers of Sight clipped and supported by several Flowers of Memory. The background is the same design worn by the other men.

The first thing you notice in the Chancel is the center. Directly ahead as you step through the gate and about a half mile away a massive spray of earth stretches impossibly. It must be almost a mile high and spreads tendrils of rock in every direction. Here and there, you can see lights on the structure. Around this structure is a pit, call it a crater, which runs from the base of the central structure all the way up to about 15 meters from your position. The ground you are standing is covered with grasses and small plants, but in the crater, virtually nothing grows and only smooth rock, some polished to obsidion-like gloss, can be seen.

A path runs around the entire crater. To your right as you face the central structure, you can see a small village of rough-shaped stone buildings and fields. Here and there you catch glimpses of people around the houses. Looking away from the central structure the grassy terrain which seems to border the crater gives way to shrubs and other plants. Above, the sun is bright. There are a few clouds hanging motionless in the sky, all of which seem to be in the process of being pushed away from the central structure of the Chancel. The air is a pleasant 70 degrees.

When everyone has stepped through, Kep walks over to the boy in white and tells him to head back to the Chancel to prepare for six guests. The boy speeds off on his horse towards the village. The men in green mount horses. One of them attaches the reins of the remaining horse to his own mount so as to lead it. Kep then turns and bows to the Familia. "Welcome to Time's End," he says with a smile. Please, follow me and I will talk you to where you shall meet this realm's lords." With that, he begins walking along the path towards the village in the same direction last taken by the boy in white who is just now reaching the edge of the village. Kep takes the lead while the men in green follow the party at the rear.

As you are walking, Kep speaks, directing his conversation at Neville but speaking loud enough to be heard by the rest of the Familia. "Unless I am very much mistaken, the creature you describe is here in. It was taken in only a brief time ago. It is fortunate that you have come as there was some question as to what to do with it. The creature is yours then?"

Neville answers with a nod.

Tap. Tap. Tap. If this is unnerving anyone, so much the better, as this is the stated intent.

"Why was it brought in?" he asks in clipped, annoyed tones. "We would have caught it and neutralized it easily, and your chancel would not have been disturbed."

"We were not aware that the creature's caretakers were present," Kep responds. "My masters felt it a prudent course. They should be able to answer any questions in that regard," he adds with a deferential nod.

For the past several minutes, Desiree's attention had, to all appearances, once again meandered away from her actual surroundings and into a tiny private world inhabited by Desiree and other things into whose nature it is perhaps wisest not to inquire too closely. She aimlessly followed the rest of the group into the Chancel, but it is not until now that her gaze focuses on an object visible to anyone but her, and it chances to land on Kep. She flashes him a dazzling smile and, in a tone so sultry that hothouse orchids could easily be grown on her consonants, sighs, "The Creature is not precisely Ours, good Sir; rather, we have been Charged to Retrieve it by its actual Master."

...and the grinding that might be heard at this point is Neville's teeth.

The poise and self possession Kep has been displaying, and rightfully so as representative of one pantheon of gods to another, shatters almost audibly. His gate takes on the awkwardness of someone who has been suddenly forced to operate one's legs manually and is trying to consciously remember how each muscle is supposed to work.

"I'm... glad to hear that, my lady," Kep manages through a dry sounding mouth. "I would hate for you and your Family to be held responsible for the beast's actions."

"Oh, you needn't worry, Neville," chirps Desiree brightly, "This is all but a Piece of my Master Plan to lull our Foes into Complacent Overconfidence by projecting about myself an Aura of Cheerful Incompetence with such Skill and Consistency -"

"With great efficiency, I might add," interrupts Neville through clenched teeth.

"- that I have even managed to Fool the Duller members of My Own Family." She then returns her attention to the subject at hand (Kep) and increases her smile several billion watts in intensity.

Hu had been quietly taking a swig from a small silver flask. When Desiree says this, however, his eyes grow wide and he spews a mouth-full of amber liquid in what can only be described as a perfect spit-take.

Coughing and sputtering, he quickly cleans himself up with one of his many bandanas². This has the byproduct of slowing his walking rate and moving him backwards in the group. Desiree, and her blindingly brilliant smile, is now directly between Hu and Kep. He avoids eye contact.

Kep coughs, begins sweating, and is quite visibly biting his tongue. He doesn't seem to even notice Hu's watering of the path. Behind the group, the three men in green have moved closer to the party, although they do not appear threatening and their staves remain at rest. Their attention appears to be entirely on the figure, so to speak, of Desiree.

Falling back as he wipes his mouth, Hu now is even with the shoulders of the green men's horses.

"If you would be so kind enough to arrange a meeting with your masters," says Neville, not being so kind at all, "I would greatly appreciate it."

"This is already being done, m'lord." At Neville's brusk manner Kep regains some - although not all - of his composure, only to have it wiped away again by Desiree's smile. Ahead of them the gallop of the horse sent off when they came through the gate can be heard growing fainter.

Walking along further in silence, Kep leads the family along the path to the village, where he makes a turn then toward the central object along another path. It is soon apparent that there is a bridge across the chasm to the central region.

It is at the near edge of the bridge that Kep turns to Neville. "We will await the answer to your request for an audience here."

There is an awkward silence, during which the men in green position themselves around the family, although making absolutely sure to be able to see Desiree...

For Desiree, a steward, somewhat hesitantly, offers a cup of.. liquid, along with small containers of milk and sugar. "I regret the lack of manticor venom in our larder," says Tark with a small bow. "I hope this will suffice." [Desiree]

"It looks Perfectly Marvelous," chirps Desiree happily. "Pray, do not Fret over the Absence of the Venom. In Truth, I did not Expect that it would be readily Available so out of Season in any Case."

Tark then turns and addresses the group. "Please, relax. My masters will be with you shortly. If you should require anything more, Stet," he indicates one of the tray carriers who bows in acknowledgement, "will be just outside the arch." He than adds with some enthusiasm, "try the teas. They really are quite excellent."

Barring any last minute requests, Tark then bows low and leaves the Familia to wait.

Hu peruses the tea selection and selects one to sample. There are more than a half dozen different marking on the teas. A small card presented with the tea service provides fanciful names for each along with a somewhat more helpful description of the flavors, although these too tend to be somewhat given to artistic license. Broadly speaking, a couple teas are described as having a classical British, Indian, or Chinese flavor, others are described by a combination of known spices (such as cloves and cinnimon or sage with almond) while others are simply noted as "autumnal with a deep musky flavor" or "mountain fields after rain." It should be noted that the tea comes with a complete set of additives (a second note card provides recommendations) along with a platter of biscuits (American cookies).

Those who try them will find the flavors to be quite delicate and interesting (although whether they like it is another matter). The teas are certainly well quite high quality.

Ten minutes pass.

Desiree puts a small amount of milk and two lumps of sugar into her dubious beverage, and takes a deep draft, with evident satisfaction. She then puts her glass down and wanders over to inspect the tea.

"Oh, these look Lovely as well," she sighs. "Shall we indulge? Neville, would you Care to be Mother?"

While the others amuse themselves with tea, Neville stalks out to a waiting attendant.

"Could you tell me, pray tell, who the Nobles of this chancel are, and what are their domains?" [Neville]

Stet starts at Neville's voice before withering a bit under his gaze. Without meeting Neville's eyes, he responds, "My pardon, my Lord. I had... I...." Gathering himself a bit, he continues, "My masters are Lord Leseux, whose Domain is Repression, Lord Williams, the Power of Pictures, Lord Xang, the Power of Impact, and and Lord Gallien, the Power of Graves in whose hall you now reside." He hastily adds, "My Lord."

Another 10 minutes pass. Nikita calls one of the minutes over to him and gives it a little food from his pocket.

Neville nods to himself, then blinks twice at Nikita.

Very quietly, he speaks to the rest of the familia, pitching his tone to carry to the Familia, but nobody else:

"Iruthel, the imperator here is an Aaron's Serpent. The nobles here seem to keep a low profile. Be careful around Lord Leseux, for he is vengeful and thorough. I ask that we please try to get through this without making any more enemies than we have to. If any are worthy of our enmity, let us wait until we are home before we pursue it."

"I agree," Hu says, quietly as well. "But even if they are unreasonable, I doubt they'll be wishing to make the enemy of two Families over a matter as small as a single supernatural creature." He pauses for a while, thinking things over. "I think that we are far more likely to make lasting enemies here due to ham-fisted negotiations than because of our mission. I will try to leave the diplomacy up to you folks what are more used to this sort of thing."

Hu looks up from the floor, which he has been glaring at to hide his grin of amusement. "If I may be so bold," he says, addressing Lord Leseux, "but I would like to suggest a solution. We often lose the people in our chancel to ... mishaps ... and we've obtained wonderful results with replacing them with advanced clockwork automata. They are don't eat, don't sleep, don't age, don't feel pain, require very little maintenance, and are precise workers. We would be glad to give you ... say, three of these workers for each person you've lost to this critter here. Specialized in whatever fields you desire, of course. That way, you wouldn't have to deal with those folks at Locus Pararch at all, and it would save one of us a trip over and back. Would that be acceptable?" [Neville]

Neville raises an eyebrow at Hu, but says nothing, as we are obviously doing better than we would if he were handling the diplomacy. Hu scratches his nose, but otherwise gives no indication that he has noticed either Neville's eyebrow or his silence. Silas nods his head.

He turns sharply to face the Familia, his expression that of tightly contained fury. "No. What you offered can hardly compensate for the loss, body and soul, of one of my valued servants. As I am the one to suffer the loss, I have the right to reject this offer." He gives Lord Leseux a brief sidelong glance as if to remind his brother of this. "As for the suffering of the creature, I care not a bit. Were it not for my brothers, I would have ground the beast to sand where it stood outside our Gate. It will not leave here before full restitution has been made." [Hu]

Here, Lord Leseux leans forward and attempts to whisper something to Lord Gallien but the other waves him away. Lord William also leans forward. You hear him suggest, "A clockwork man could be of value to me. If you accept I could, in turn, render you a compensation more appropriate to...," but Gallien cuts him off as well, hissing, "This isn't about compensation! It is about justice! It is about avenging an attack on my estate. I will accept nothing less."

Lord Gallien then turns to regard the Familia with a stony expression. Lords Leseux and William alternate between glancing at the Familia and their brother. Lord Xang continues to watch the spectacle from the sideline.

"Do bear in mind that the beast's escape was an accident," says Neville coldly. "If it is justice you seek, Lord Gallien, is 'life for life' what you desire? It is traditional, after all. Would the death of an equally valued servant from the chancel of this beast's masters serve your thirst for justice?"

There is no indication at all of sarcasm in Neville's question.

"Or," continues Hu in a reasonable voice, "If you would prefer, we could attempt to restore your servant to life. It's not exactly our forte, but we could give it a shot." Hu glances at his family briefly, then continues. "We understand your cause for anger here, and we'd like to make up for this unfortunate misunderstanding in any way we can. We are merely messengers here, but we'll do our best. What would you like us to do? How shall we compensate you for this accidental attack on your Estate?"

"Without a soul, I find that highly unlikely," scowls Neville. "Would you trawl the great tree itself to find the wandering soul, even supposing it wanted to return? No, if you wish restitution instead of revenge, it is within my powers to provide you with an automaton only, though it can look and behave exactly as your departed servant."

"Restitution or revenge, it matters not to me."

"I don't know if we should let such a small impossibility deter us from true justice." Silas makes a quick introduction before continuing, "Silas Powder, at your service," and presents his card ('Futility'). "We could appoint a commission dedicated to the full recompense of the departed caretaker. A team of experts could determine the best means to resurrect, reconstruct, or regurgitate this wronged soul, while a contingent of automatons serves his duties in the interim. I understand this man must have been a truly unique individual to warrant such a position, and is replacable by no one but himself. I would be happy to make the arrangements..." The look on Silas's face indicates that this is in no way a humorous suggestion, and that he not only relishes the opportunity, but is already mentally appointing the board to choose the committee that determines the criteria for overtime pay of the Recompense Commission secretary.

"...Or perhaps if you could enumerate a set of essential characteristics, a suitable living replacement could be chosen from the servants of the offending chancel, thus satisfying both restitution and revenge." Silas adds for the sake of completeness.

"What is your desire, My Lord Gallien?" interrupts Neville with no subtlety whatsoever, and with no small annoyance.

Gallien waits for Silias to finish his suggestion before speaking.

"If my servant could be returned, that would be best, although I do not know how a rended soul could ever be reconstituted," replies Gallien. "Barring that, what you propose," he says indicating Neville, "would satisfy my desire for justice, assuming that I was able to choose the time, place, manner, and servant. This would be acceptable. You can vouch for the beast's owners in this?"

Here, Lord Leseux, who had been looking somewhat displeased as his brother was talking, speaks up, addressing his brother as much as the Familia. "Now see here. While I do not question, dear Brother," he says addressing Gallien, "that you are the primary claimant here, but you are not the only injured party. We had agreed," he says with emphasis. Gallien meets his glare.

Turning to the Familia, he continues, "While my brother seems content with this particular arrangement, I still feel the matter not fully resolved. Would you consider..." he glances at Lord Xang and Lord Gallien before turning to address Hu directly. "Would you consider two of your clockwork minions as recompense for all remaining claims?"

Hu waits a few moments before responding, wait to see if there is further objection from Lord Gallien. When none comes, he asks doubtfully, "Do you mean two clockwork people in addition to the destruction of a servant of your choice? I don't think that would be acceptable."

"We can offer three clockwork minions right now, with a reasonable attempt on our part to restore your lost servant, or we can send a messenger to Locus Pararch and relay your request to destroy one of their servants, provided, of course, that you do not pick this Padfoot." Hu's tone makes it clear that he would rather have the first option. "If you'd prefer the second, we'll have to, of course, wait around here for the rest of the details to be hammered out, and, while your hospitality is most excellent, I'm sure you have other things that require your attention."

"Well, I Cannot speak for the Rest of my Family, but that certainly sounds Reasonable to Me," chirps Desiree. "But Whilst we Wrangle over the Details, would anyone Mind overmuch if I Fed the Padfoot, so as to Prevent its Death, which might Render our discussion Moot?" She turns and starts to walk towards the Padfoot, beginning to unbutton her shirt as she goes. "Personally, I would be in favor of Resurrecting the poor Deceased, as I Prefer to Defy the strictures of my Imposed Allegiance with Evil whenever possible. Since soul Extraction is difficult once the animus in Question has been Masticated, and Similacra are usually Tediously inexact in some Horrifying Manner, might I suggest that we take a Daring Journey back through Time, so as to at the Last Moment undetectably Replace the Caretaker with an exact Duplicate, thereby altering Events in such a way that the Perceived Past will remain unchanged, as the Caretaker's apparent Body will still be found, thus maintaining Conservation of Reality and Preventing giant Fish from rampaging through Tokyo and so on? Who's a Good Padfoot, then? Is 'ee Hungry? Is 'ee?" [Desiree]

Neville scowls at Desiree. "I beg your pardon?" he demands, dangerously softly. "Whatever similacra I provide will be exquisite, to the very detail. You may rest whatever fears you have on that score, my lords."

"Well, I wasn't speaking of *your* Simulacra, of course, Neville," says Desiree cheerily, "Seeing as the Perfection of your Work is so Universally renowned that it seemed hardly Necessary to me to Burden an already Exasperatingly Lengthy sentence by Mentioning in Passing the Obvious Fact that your creations constitute the Exception that Proves the Rule."

"If I kill her, it would start a war," Neville very pointedly does not say. Nevertheless, he acknowledges her with a small nod.

Lord Leseux frowns slightly as Hu objects to his proposal. He appears about to say something but Desiree speaks. He looks on agast as she begins to unbutton her shirt. After a moment he turns fixedly towards Hu again.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Lord Jackson," her replies. "While I do not argue with my brother's claim for justice, be it through revenge, reconstitution, or time travel, and while this would settle much of the debt owed, I feel that this cannot be complete. Can you suggest some alternative? In any case, I fear the latter two would, I am sure my brother would agree," at this Lord Gallien wrenches his attention from Desiree and returns it to the conversation at hand as Lord Leseux continues,"would more completely dissolve our claims upon the beast's masters, I have doubts about their feasibility unless any of you have the ability to reconstitute rended souls or find the hidden paths that lead to different times. No, I fear that only the first of these three, as distasteful and incomplete as it may be, is possible." Lord Leseux does indeed sound like this is his own last choice as well. "So the question remains, my Lords and Ladies, is there anything you can suggest that would complete the compensation? I do feel that a pair for your clockwork machines is not an unreasonable request."

"Perhaps," says Lord Xang, speaking for the first time from where he sits on the side, "a trade could be made to repay the balance of my Family's claim. I would like to suggest that, in addition to whatever manner of revenge or replacement is made for Erol," he indicates Lord Gallien, "a trade could be arranged: some of your clockwork machines for some of the miraculous plants we clutivate at Time's End. Would this be fair?"

Lord Leseux scowls briefly at Lord Xang, but says nothing.

"I do believe the compromise you propose is an equitable one," says Neville, ignoring Desiree with the ease born of long practice. "My questions now are two: Of what nature and specifications are the automata you wish? Secondly, which chancel do you wish to punish, ours, as representatives of the beast's masters, or the beast's masters themselves? The former would be easier by an order of magnitude to secure."

As Lord Leseux speaks, Hu sighs and nods in reluctant agreement, as if to say, "I had hoped to avoid further bloodshed, but Gallien has the right to demand revenge if he so chooses." Indeed, Hu appears to be about to vocalize his opinions when Neville speaks, and is forced to communicate his agreement with further nodding. His attention remains fixed on Lord Leseux, as if he is deliberately keeping his eyes and thoughts from wandering.

"Very well," says Lord Leseux. "If the justice of my brother is satisfied, the compromise is acceptable to me." Lord Leseux is focusing his gaze on Hu and Neville, quite obviously avoiding looking at either Desiree on one side or Lord Xang on the other. Lord Gallien seems to be following his example with only the occasional surrititous glance at Desiree. He nods to indicate his acceptance of the deal - a gesture Lord Leseux could not possibly see. Lord William is watching Desiree. Lord Xang is watching everyone.

"Regarding your questions," Leseux addresses Neville, "I believe Lord William and myself can provide descriptions of devices we would find useful. Of these you can indicate which you are capable of providing. In return, we will provide you with a list of the herbs and such our Chancel is capable of creating. We can work out what constitutes a fair trade from there."

"As for who we wish to punnish, it is most noble of you to offer your Chancel in the place of the beast's true masters. I believe it is Lord Gallien who should decide, however, as this represents his part of the compensation." There seems to be a bit of emphasis on the last part of that sentence.

"That one of you should meet my terms for justice is fine," says Gallien flatly. "I had expected that you would choose the beast's owners to bear this, but if you wish to do so yourself I have no objections." He bows his head slightly in acknowledgement.

"If my lords would be kind enough to give me specifications, we may proceed with the beast to just within an entrance to your chancel," Neville declares. "Within hours of your specifications, transport will arrive from my chancel, conveying a substitutionary means of justice, as well as your automata. Once we are satisfied that all portions of the bargain are fulfilled, we shall leave with the padfoot and leave you in peace."

Neville nods towards Silas. "My Lord Powder, if you would be so kind as to draw up a contract for the terms we have just discussed, we shall make the matter official, after of course our hosts have had opportunity to inspect the document."

Desiree breastfeeds the Padfoot, occasionally making cooing noises or remonstrating with it not to bite. [Desiree]

"Of course. Of course." Silas looks to find that his hands have already begun filling his notebook with text. "When would you like it?"

"As soon as you are able to draft it in a universally comprehensible format," Neville replies to Silas.

"That is most kind of you, however, the scribe we brought," Leseux indicates the man scribbling in the book, "can handle such a simple task quite FOR DECENCY'S SAKE, MY LADY," Leseux turns and attempts to glare at Desiree without actually looking at her. "PLEASE DISPLAY SOME PROPRIETY! THIS IS HARDLY FITTING BEHAVIOR!"

In Neville's shirt pocket, something gibbers. Neville as usual gives no indication that he is aware of it.

"I am certain that between Lord Silas and your scribe, we may come to some written understanding. Now, would you my Lord be able to give me the specifications for your clockworks? I must have them if I am to be able to satisfy your requirements in a timely manner."

"Very well," Leseux replies to Neville. Noting that Desiree doesn't appear to be paying him any mind he adds. "Perhaps we can step into a... better... location to perform such discussions. Please follow me. We can allow the Lady Desiree to adminster to the Padfoot undisturbed." [Desiree]

With that, he leaves through the arch, followed by Lords Gallien and Williams as well as the scribe, who hastily collapses the table on which he we writing and follows his masters. The footman and three green men standing outside the arch snap to attention as their masters pass. Leseux tells the footman to "remain and attend to any requests Desiree may have." He, the remaining members of his Family, the scribe, and any members of the Familia then continue up the stairs from the arch. (Lord Xang will follow the last of the Familia, not including Desiree, out. If any members of the Familia wish to remain with Desiree, he will stay with them.)

Leseux leads the group up, through a wide hallway, and into a large open room. The room has no ceiling and you can see the blue sky overhead as well as the the spires of the Chancel's central mass. One end of the hallway is open as well and looks out over the crater that surrounds the mass. (It does not look towards the rim but, in fact, looks toward the southwest.) The view is largely featureless except for a large hole seen in the distant far wall of the crater. The opposite wall has a massive white on red banner with the falling star and tree sigil that you have seen throughout the Chancel. The sides of the room contain book shelves, a small collection of bottles, and a few (well rendered) paintings of people working in rural settings in various corners of the world. There are several cushioned couches and chairs. The side walls hold four smaller banners with flower pattersn over the falling star and tree background. (One is the same as the one on the back wall of Lord Gallien's abode, one is the same as the pattern worn on medallions by both the scribe and the boy in white who met you when you first entered the chancel, the other two are new and contain flowers of Control and Enlightenment and flowers of Force and Beauty respectively. Leseux chooses a chair and gestures for others to be seated. The scribe sets up his table and continues to take notes.

To summarize the next few minutes, Lords Leseux and Williams both describe clockworks that they would like. Lord Williams is primarily interested in the photographic abilities that would allow the clockworks to "see" and requests a device that would be capable of reproducing a visualized scene (in whatever manner) with a high degree of accuracy while still looking and behaving in a human way. Lord Leseux requests two small and sturdy clockworks that could negotiate difficult terrain and high heat and retrieve objects that they had been previously shown. He indicates that they would need to be small enough to fit through a hole less than an half meter square. [Neville]

In return, they wish to know what herbs, poultices, or other preparations would be useful to you. The indicate they have a wide range of such concoctions at their disposal, mentioning a number of healing balms, as well as exceptionally strong ropes (such as that used to bind the padfoot, poisons (both to stun and kill), and truth drugs.

Nikita goes with the group to look at the herbs, though at this point still has little to say. In fact, Niki is likely squirming rather uncomfortably right now, not being all that used to the whole stilted diplomatic rigamarole. The effect is much like a six year old in a tuxedo watching a twelve-hour wedding ceremony.

Hu follows the larger group, and is interested in getting a few of the strong ropes, as well as a long coat made of the woven plant material that the guards were wearing as armor.

Neville is with the Herb party, and is particularly interested in the pharmaceutical aspect of matters.

Meanwhile, Silas will work with the scribe to draft the necessary documents for our deal with Time's End. The front page can be a simple summary of the agreement worded mostly by the scribe and "understandable" by everyone. Silas will handle the fine print. 'Fine print' in this case will be a long, densly worded stack of papers that essentially adds nothing to the document. It's for the purposes of legal completeness rather than any sort of deception or obfuscation of important details. It will seal shut legal loopholes, clarify terms, provide means of legally adding additional 'fine print, etc. [Silas]

"Your clockworks shall be delivered to the same gate through which we arrived in about an hour," Neville declares after a moment of repose. "Your exact specifications have been fulfilled, and they are even now in transit."

"In addition, they are accompanied by a member of our chancel who holds power and authority in my chancel equal to or somewhat greater than that held by your soul-rent servant. I do this as a gesture of good faith and sincerty of purpose, that the justice you desire may be swiftly delivered, and no debts be outstanding between us."

Leseux seems visibly impressed that Neville has the situation so well in hand. He glances towards Lord Gallien when Neville offers the potential sacrifice, but Gallien simply states "I will consider your suggestion," without further elaboration. Williams seems to be quite excited by his prospects of getting one of the clockwork camera-men.

When Hu suggests the rope and armor he nods. "I believe that can be arranged. The rope is quite light but, as you saw in the case of the padfoot, is quite strong and resists cutting. We use a special herbal mixture to cut strands as well as re-bind the ends to virtually any object. We can include this as well. The armor, as you quite correctly itentified it to be, is most remarkable - it has shown itself to be resistant both to cutting and burning while being far more flexible than anything similarly availble through normal means. Of course, its durable nature means that it is quite difficult to produce, but your offers are no less amazing. Would one outfit of armor and 100 meters of unbreakable rope and two liters of the associated cutting/binding mixture be considered a suitable exchange for your clockworks?"

"Ah, well, since Sir Neville's the one actually providing the clockworks, I think the choice of compensation should be up to him. I'm just mentioning the stuff that I'm interested in," replies Hu.

"The matter is acceptable," replies Neville.

"Excellent," proclaims Leseux. "Then I believe the matter can be considered settled once the paperwork has been taken care of." He glances toward Silas and the scribe where they have been working. The scribe is looking through a sheaf of papers with a look of utter bewilderment. Ignoring the look from the poor clerk, Leseux continues. "I will have the Padfoot brought to the gate through which you entered as well as the items we are providing in exchange for the clockworks." He glances at Gallien who simply nods. "Are there any other matters I have missed?"

As no one brings up any further issues...

"Very well," says Lord Lesuex. With a snap, Tark and two other men in red tunics enter through one of the side entrances. Leseux gives instructions to have the armor, rope, and binder/rebinder mixture prepared as well as have the padfoot moved to more comfortable location, he suggests a bed of straw, in front alcove of the Ender until such time as for him to be delivered. (Leseux seems to be referring to the central mass you are inhabiting when he says that.) The two men other than Tark immediately depart.

"Tark will see to your needs while you wait. Please, make yourselves comfortable."

With that, Leseux bows slightly, and departs through the main gate. Gallien also bows slightly, and then follows Leseux out. Lords Xang and Williams remain, Xang comfortably resting in the cushioned chair off to the side and Williams standing near a painting of the Chancel.

Given the location of the nearest LF blimp, it will be only 15 minutes before the clockworks arrive, if you wish to get them to the Gate as quickly as possible.

Neville does indeed, and as such he relays this information.

One the two other Nobles have left, Lord Williams approaches Neville. "From what you have described," he says, "you possess automatic visual recognition systems significantly more advanced than those present on the Earth. I was wondering if you might be willing to provide some of the technical details of those workings in return for other favors that might be useful to your Chancel."

"I would be willing to entertain such negotiations at a later time, in a more neutral setting," replies Neville. "At the moment however, we have much more pressing matters to which to attend."

Hu had been wandering the room, idly inspecting the pictures and decor. He notices the exchange and slides up to Lord Williams as Neville is speaking. "I, at least, am interested in expanding interaction between our two Chancels. It seems like there is much that we could each benefit from the other. But Neville's right: we have to deal with this Padfoot thing first. Perhaps we could agree to meet somewhere later?"

"Of course," replies Lord William, slightly disappointed. "You are quite right." He hands you a card. It reads "North End Portraiture and Supply" and provides an address in Dublin. "I will receive any correspondence you send to Mr. Donald White at that address."

The next few minutes pass uneventually. From your vantage you can see a large swath of the chancel through the large opening at the far end of the hall. Here and there you can see people on the rim who appear to be tending plants.

About 14 minutes later a slightly flushed young man of about 18 years of age and dressed in red appeas at the entrance to the grand room and asks, quite nervously, if the mechanical arachnid standing at the Irish gate is, in fact, the transportation the Chancel has sent.

"As you see," says Neville with a nod to the assorted Lordage, "I am punctual in my committments. The construct in question is indeed my courier. I suggest we proceed to it."

The young man in red bows quickly. "I will inform Lord Leseux," he says, and then sprints from the room.

Lord Xang stands up. "As you say," he responds to Neville. "Please, come with me." He then leads the group, including Lord William through the corridors and to the main alcove of the central mass where the bridge from the village crosses to it. He looks around and, seeing only a few men in greens and whites as well as a couple horses being fitted to a sturdy looking wagon says, "I am sure the padfoot will be brought up presently." He glances at Tark, who followed the group up, and who now scurries off down one of the corridors.

As the group is waiting, Lords Leseux and Gallien appear with a man in red following. Leseux glances at Xang but says nothing. He then looks around before facing the Family. "Your efficiency in this matter is quite astounding. I'm afraid you quite outpaced us, however the creature should be arriving any moment." He glances expectantly towards one of the doors leading into the central mass.

Sure enough, only a half a minute passes before a procession winds its way into view. The group is led by a new man in a red tunic, followed by four men in green. The men in green are carrying poles, the ends of which are attached to a net. In the net, the padfoot is reluctantly stumbling forward. Desiree follows behind the men in green. She is no longer wearing the blouse and other acoutrements she was wearing upon entering the Chancel but appears to be wearing a mishmash of white, red, and green garments such as you have seen worn by the human servants of Time's End. Even Gallien does a double take when he sees Desiree. The man in red resulutely delivers the green men with the padfoot to Leseux, bows deeply, and the hurridly departs. By the time Leseux gathers himself as if to ask the man about this, the man is already half way to the door. There is a pause. "Put it in the cart," Leseux mutters to the men in green who oblige with excessive efficiency.

"Well then," says Leseux with a slightly strained brightness, "shall we go to the entrance?"

"Let us indeed," replies Neville with stony not-bright-at-all-ness. "I have provided as well an opportunity for your justice to be satisfied, so that we may part ways free of debt to one another."

One of the younger (late teens, early twenties...) ladies in particular stares at Desiree for some time. She seems a bit flushed. [Desiree]

(It is not, perhaps, remarkable that the young woman in the crowd should be the only one to notice Desiree's anklet fall off; after all, such a thing is hard to spot and the girl was staring at Desiree rather intensely.)

(And, should she attempt to alert Desiree to this fact, it is perhaps not surprising, over the general noise of the procession, that Desiree should fail to hear her, requiring the woman to, perhaps, attempt to tap Desiree on the shoulder or some such. And it could be a coincidence, although Desiree was not in particularly close proximity to her only moments before, that the meandernig path of the group should bring Desiree into a reamrkably perfect position for the woman to do just that.)

(And should Desiree happen to stop and turn with surprisingly good reflexes at such a tap, she is, after all, a Noble, and it is only natural that in such a situation the forward motion of the girl would unexpectedly cause them to almost bump into each other, leaving them standing face-to-face in unusually close proximity. Such things do happen, after all.)

(And the necessarily brief and hurried conversation following such an encounter - since Desiree must follow the rest of the group - would of course result in a smiling Desiree arranging to meet the woman at some later time, so that she can thank her properly. This, of course, is simple politeness.)

(Of course, an intelligent member of Desiree's family who bothered to take all this in might find cause to reflect on the fact that they can never recall Desiree's ever having worn an anklet, and certainly don't remember her doing so today.)

Aside from that, the walk is uneventful, although it is quite a pleasant day in the chancel. The sun does not appear to have moved from where it hung when you entered the chancel. After a pause, Lord Lesseux says, "I see that your transport is somewhat large. Would you care to have your servants bring the exchange items into the circle?"

"As my transport is too large to come inside the chancel, I would prefer to conduct the remainder of our business outside the gate," replies Neville.

"Indeed it is," Lord Lesseux states, an edge of annoyance creeping into his otherwise smooth demeanor. He consults briefly with Lord Gallien, who merely shakes his head. "It would hasten the process if you would bring the clockworks to the circle. If you put them there, we will put our own exchange on this side, such that the two will cross at the same time."

"That is an acceptable compromise," says Neville after a moment, also sounding annoyed.

After a moment, he continues, "They are ready to come through."

Lord Leseux nods, staring at the empty space above the circle. Meanwhile, the green men are prodding the padfoot out of the cart and into the circle. Two men in white carry the other bundles with them into the circle. The men in white return to the cart, while the men in green stand with the padfoot within the circle's borders. At a suggestion from Lord Lesuex, the rearrange themselves slightly within the circle's confines.

When this is accomplished, Leseux nods and one of the green men (he appears to be the group's leader) turns slowly in place. When he completes his turn he, the other green men, the padfoot, and the baskets are no longer present. In their place stand 4 figures. One appears to be a fairly nondescript gentleman, albiet with somewhat thick glasses, carrying a briefcase and wearing traveling clothes. He stands quietly in one corner of the circle. A second man in the circle looks much less dignified. His jacket is frayed and ripped at the shoulder. The pitiful remains of his hair are in disarray. His knees and hands are stained with mud. He stands, slouched and cringing between the last two figures. The latter two are fairly large men who calmly view their new surroundings through a series of lenses that appear to be built into their heads. The stand on either side of the wimpering man and each firmly holds an elbow. They nod respectfully at Neville and the rest of the Family before assuming a stance of watchful attention. At their feet are two small objects (slightly bigger than a breadbox) with the occasional gear and cog visible in their assembly. The latter do not move at all. The clockwork wardens stand ready for instructions.

Meanwhile, the men in white, who were standing near the edge of the circle, take a half step back and glance at Leseux for instructions.

"My lords," intones Neville. "Here I present you our side of the bargain. You have your clockworks, exactly as you have specified."

He continues with a glower. "Lord Gallien, here also is the means for your justice to be satisfied. This is Sir Aiden Gearsmonger, a longtime faithful worker within our chancel's beaurocracy, at a level of responsibility and duty equal or slightly greater than that of your lost servent. He is a good worker, is married, and has a young daughter. As we have discussed, his life is yours, in restitution for that of your servent. What you do, do quickly, so that there shall be no debts between us."

"Now if you will excuse me, I must make certain that the Padfoot is properly loaded onto my transport. May I have leave to depart your chancel?"

"Of course," says Leseux. "I'm pleased that things have worked out. Hopefully our next meeting can be under better circumstances." He bows gracefully, a move duplicated by the other Nobles and servants present.

Meanwhile, Lord Gallien steps into the circle to stand face to face with Gearsmonger. (Actually face to upper chest - Gearsmonger doesn't look up and, in fact, flinches even lower.) Gallien stands quietly there for a few moments, hardly moving, before saying. "No. It would not be equivalent. I will find someone at a later time. I will contact you then." He then turns and leaves the circle to where the rest of his Family is standing.

Desiree, who had begun to look extremely discomfitted and worried at the arrival of Sir Gearsmonger, and looked as if she were about to say something. When he is rejected by Lord Gallien, however, she looks relieved and chooses not to say whatever it was.

A quiet sigh comes from Hu and he sags, ever so slightly. He looks at Neville and shrugs. While Hu does not speak the language of moving shoulders, it is clear that he's expressing resignation about the whole situation, and deference to Neville in particular: sort of a "What'cha gonna do?" feeling.

"Very well," says Neville, calm, but obviously quite annoyed. "Lord Gallien, when you wish to conclude our agreement, send a spirit messenger to Big Ben, and I will receive your message."

"I must now supervise the loading of the Padfoot. Mister Gearmonger, attend us." Unless he is prevented, Neville and Gearmonger exit the chancel with the appropriate courtesy and do what is necesary to get the Padfoot into the transport.

Pleasantries are exchanged. Anyone may leave if they desire (without difficulty or offense). The vehicle waiting for you is a large spider-like clockwork transport. It has eight legs, appears to be quite sturdy, has pincers, has 1" spike-like things all over the outside, and also has a crew cabin in the head. The green men are eyeing it warily from about 20 feet away.

Gearsmonger quickly follows Neville, stooped and toadying.

"Stand up straight!" snaps Neville at Gearsmonger. "You represent our chancel here, remember that." Gearsmonger immediately begins toadying from a somewhat more erect stance.

Neville makes a sign, and the transport turns around and settles down on its belly. A large hatchway opens in the back of the abdomen, forming a roughly padfoot-sized ramp.

Neville looks at the green men expectantly. The green men glance at Neville waiting for something more to happen, but quickly decide action is the more appropriate response. The then shuffle the staggering padfoot up the ramp and into the cargo hatch. Once inside, the group leader takes a small flask from his belt and pours a few drops of the contents on the ends of the green men's staves where they are attached to the net. After a few moments the staves are free and the net appears to be attached to the floor of the cargo chamber. Two of the men then carry the packages of materials given to Locus Fnord in trade and place them in the rear of the vehicle as well.

Desiree politely takes her leave of the chancel. Once she is outside and the Padfoot securely packed away, she slithers bonelessly out of her clothes, emerging fully dressed in the garments she more typically wears. She surveys the discarded pile of red, white, and green clothing, and comments, "They have some Very odd Customs in this Chancel."

She then surveys the mechanical spider, and says, with perhaps a tinge of disappointment, "Well, that was Rather Simple, as Problems go, given our Abilities, don't you think? Personally, I like for a Problem to have Grown to an Unusually Large Size before I really Bear Down on it. Or Alternatively, in such Situations where the Size of the problem is not the Issue, I like for Things to have gotten Extraordinarily Sticky before I put my Hand in. Ah, well. Perhaps some Complications will Spring Up later, and I shall have my Fun then."

"In any event . . . how shall we Conceal this Apparatus on our way back to Throw Stones at the People in the Glass Houses?" "Oh, and Mr. Gearsmonger," she continues, "You Must come to Tea sometime Soon. It has been too Long."

"We need no concealment," replies Neville. "We shall be through and gone before the mundanes recover from the fear of our passage. If any of you wish to aid our concealability anyway, you are welcome to do so."

Effortlessly, Nikita erects a "Somebody Else's Problem" field over the apparatus, thus influencing all mortals to pay no attention to it.

"Let us then be off, and conclude this matter." Neville glowers, and enters the transport.

As you approach the populations centers of Cork, many people stop to look at the vehicle as it lumbers down the city streets. However, there is no screaming or panic - people simply seem curious about the new contraption. A pair of policemen standing at an intersection have a hurried conversation as you approach, but in the end simply stand aside and watch as it passes by. The only delay is due to a bit of traffic somewhat near the docks - apparently there was some sort of disturbance and police are routing traffic through a short detour. [Neville]

Finally, you arrive behind the dockside warehouse containing the Gate to Locus Pararch. The carriage clicks to a halt and then lowers its torso gently to the ground to allow an easy disembarking.

"Whose idea was it to come back to Cork?" queries Neville. "Would it not have been more efficient to travel to the nearest blimp, then shortcut through Fnordia to a blimp nearer to the original entrance to the Locus Pararch? This transport simply will not fit through this gate, unless we use it to demolish the wall that is currently between us and the gate."

Neville's brow furrows in thought. Sarcastically, he continues, "Our comrade, the Dominus of Exploration, would you care to explain our present course?

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure I can. If we were looking for a new way into Locus Pararch I would of course take full responsibility, but we were heading back the way we came." As he speaks, Hu's voice wanders into a slight British accent. "I can only deal with the new - the old and the known is not under my purview. Perhaps, since our present course appears to be useless, you should instead be addressing Mr. Powder. Speaking of which, how's that contract coming, Silas?"

Without actually waiting for an answer, Hu continues on. "Perhaps we could temporarily abandon the transport and find some way of getting just the Padfoot up to the gate? A localized reduction in gravity's influence, maybe? And shall we attempt to restore the soul of Gallien's poor servant to full cohesion?"

Desiree looks a bit surprised at Neville's pronouncements. "Surely, dear brother, among our Combined Talents it should surely be a simple enough matter to transport the Contrivance to the Roof of the warehouse, and an even Simpler one to move the Padfoot alone there?"

"And in terms of restoring the servant's Soul, or some such, I am, of course, Eager to hear, from those who Agreed to it, the plan for Evading our commitment to sacrificing the Life of a citizen of our Chancel, for you Surely must have known I would Never agree to such a transaction, Particularly not for the actions of a Padfoot which is not even Ours. So . . . now that we are Away from Prying Ears, what is it?"

"Upon that matter," says Neville, "When we are in front of other nobles, to say nothing of Mundanes, we must show a unified front."

"Really?" asks Desiree curiously. "Why? I see no practical Strategic Advantage to being thought Competent. It makes your Enemies fail to Underestimate you and your Allies ask you for all kinds of Bothersome Things."

"We looked like squabbling children there in Locus Pararch and Time's End."

"Er, When, exactly, Neville? Not that I believe it Matters, but I can't recall our Family actually disagreeing on any relevant Subject in either Chancel, whereas in Time's End some of the Nobles clearly loathed each other and only Deferred out of Courtesy, and in Pararch they actually got into a Physical Fight in front of us."

"This is unacceptable and undignified. While Our Fnord may thrive upon dischord and the unknown, in front of others it makes us look like a bunch of American screw-offs!"

His upbraiding thus finished, Neville sits back and ponders.

"And even if that is True, or if it mattered even if it Were true, you Still have not actually Answered my question."

Nikita snorts. "We are equals in this Familia, Neville, all drafted by Fnord for his own designs, and it is preposterous to expect us not to voice our opinions and be heard. Your influence in matters relating to Locus Fnord does not extend across the entirety of the Earth, and it is unseemly for you to put on such airs.

"Furthermore, for all that we may be in England for the nonce, our borders as a Familia are far greater than any single nation, even the so called great Empire of England. I'd rather be mistaken for an American than an Englishman any day of the week; theirs is a nation founded on freedom and choice, rather than pomp and circumstance."

"We are better than they are," snaps Neville, pointedly ignoring Nikita. "Let us then act like it."

"Indeed I have not. I prefer to have the transport with us until we unload the Padfoot within Locus Pararch. This will minmize the risk to the Mundane populace, and prevent unpleasant questions later."

"Incidentally, there was a rather sizeable labour unrest being put down as we passed through the city."

Desiree looks baffled. "What in the Tree does that have to do With the fact that one of our Citizen's lives is at Risk?"

"Gearsmonger?" says Neville, appearing honestly surprised. "I am surprised. If you have a plan of greater subtlety, please do expound."

"Nikki Darling, I agree with much of your Sentiment, but I draw the Line at your Insults towards my Nation! A Nation, I might add, which America, a country initially made Rich from the Labor of Slaves and which Leaves its Poor to Die unmedicated, would do well to Emulate in terms of 'Freedom' and 'Choice.'"

"I did nothing to insult your nation, my dear sister; I only said that I'd rather be mistaken as an American than as an Englishman, and added that the English nation is built on pomp and circumstance, something I'm sure you can hardly deny. Yes, the United States have their problems, its stained history of slavery not least amongst them, but their IDEALS ring freer than the British superiority complex.

"Besides, if you'll remember, I am neither American nor English; I was born native in Hungary, and half my blood is gypsy to boot. Either observation would be a mistake, and I am well within my rights to choose which mistake I'd prefer."

"I DO deny it is built on Pomp and Circumstances; it is built on a Bedrock of Morality and Public Spirit. Therefore I take exception to both that, and your accusation that the members of the Greatest Nation in the Universe have a Superiority Complex!

"And for goodness sakes, Neville, if you're that worried about the Dashed Spider, create a Clockwork Crane and carry it up, or have Silas destroy the Futility of its climbing up the Wall, or have Allegra give it the power to stick to vertical Surfaces, but stop Fretting about it!"

"I do not KNOW if I have a plan of greater Subtlety," Desiree points out acidly, "Because, as I have been trying to Tell you, you have not informed me of what the current Plan IS."

"Gentlemen do not 'fret', my dear, we consider the situation and expound upon how it may best be solved. And yes, what you suggest does fall under the auspices of 'a more subtle idea.'"

Desiree closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She then reopens her eyes, and says, "Neville. You realize, do you not, that there are in fact Three entirely different conversational Threads currently taking place, and that what I have been referring to as 'The Plan' has nothing Whatsoever to do with the blasted Clockwork Spider, correct?"

"I do indeed realize that, my dear," Neville replies. "I was momentarily indulging in the principles of chaos and randomness that you seem to advocate as public policy." He grins evilly.

Hu at this point intervenes with "Arguments about proper appearance, relative value of countries, and the possibility and usefulness of bringing this spider to the roof aside, I suspect that Gallien intends to find a highly valuable servant of our Family, kill them at an inopportune time, and then claim his right to do so by our agreement. That, or follow us back to Locus Pararch and enact his vengeance on the true owners of the Padfoot. The first seems more likely to me. He seems, like you suggested Neville, to be the kind that holds a grudge, but he also appears to follow the letter of his agreements."

"The thing to do here," continues Hu, "would be to minimize our usefulness as a target. Standard defenses aside, we now have two clockwork automatons in their Chancel which we could use as spies, should the need arise. I hope you saw the value in that suggestion, Neville, and I'm sorry I could not mention it to you beforehand.

"Indeed, that was one of the major reasons I agreed to it," replies Neville. "You see, Desiree, this is the sort of conversation to which I had been referring just now."

Hu continues, "We also have the possibility of further contact between our two families, which I think we should capitalize on. Not only would it broaden our own abilities, but it would bring our two groups closer together, decreasing our attractiveness (Hu apparently subconsciously nods to Desiree here) as a target."

"Any form of attack could also be evaded if we managed to restore Gallien's servant to working order and return him. We have the Padfoot and we are no longer under the heel of their Defender's Blessing. Is soul restoration a possibility at all? Soul duplication is also an option, but it would have to be a very good forgery," Hu concludes.

"I can make an automaton that will pass any human inspection," states Neville. "I do not know if it would fool Lord Gallien."

Nikita replies, "Perhaps, before returning the glass Padfoot, we should ask our potential allies to assume the debt we took on by retrieving it for them. Then we should have a hold over them, we would not lose any prized mortals of our own, and we could remain friendly to the Nobilis of Time's End."

Neville steeples his hands before his face, and thinks. "That would be the ideal resolution, yes."

"Let's make sure to make it their choice though," adds Hu. "I won't feel right if we come back and say they've gotta lose someone just because somebody says so. We're helping them, and if they really don't want to help us in return, that's their right."

"Oh, the contract is coming along just fine." Silas responds belatedly to the question posed some time back in conversation. He pats a stack of papers on his lap and continues writing, having already moved on to a new project. "Once the current draft has been typed and filed, I'll have my secretary send copies to my attorneys and the Board of InterChancel Commerce. Their input should be valuable; both as legal professionals and as potential sacrifices."

"As for the transport; my itinerary shows us leaving the transport here in Cork while we meet with the Familia of Locus Pararch, though I don't believe that taking it with us is impossible either. Once we return home, I'll have a team of engineers investigate the ideal method of placing large mechanical arachnids on city rooftops."

"I haven't looked into the option of restoring the lost soul, but I can do so forthwith." Silas puts aside the decommission papers for Hu's taxi, and moves towards the back of the transport. [Silas]

"So, Allegra, do you think you could restore the souls the Padfoot has eaten?" Hu asks. "It'd be a big help for us and I think they'd appreciate it too."

Outside, the sensors detect two men driving a pallet toward the Giant Spider. It takes but a moment for them to size up the thing in their path. One of them raises an eyebrow at the other, who shrugs. Then the two of them climb out, and confer together.

Allegra nods. "I will just find out, if you give me but a moment!" She pushes up her sleeves, and heads into the area by the padfoot, humming cheerfully to herself.

While she's doing that, the outside sensors pick up a dog idley wandering about the street. This doesn't warrant much mention, however, until the dog decides to sniff at one of the legs of the Giant Spider. It seems to note, in that dog-like way, that the Giant Spider does not already belong to anyone, and hence decides to claim it for its own.

Several minutes later, Allegra returns, and says "Well, it might be possible to reunite the bits and pieces of the soul together, but it seems that the original 'soulness' is gone. Fascinating, I've never looked into the Cohesion of a soul before. I shall investigate a bit further." She then promptly returns to the padfoot.

Desiree's eyes grow wide, her face becomes flushed, and her clothes somehow cling to her body even more tightly. "Why, Neville!" she gasps. "You . . . you have a sense of humor! When did that happen?" She smiles at him, seeming to reappraise him in some manner.

"Sarcasm, my dear, sarcasm. Now, if you care to notice, there is a small dog relieving itself on my transport, and we are blocking traffic."

The two men, who had a few moments ago come to the conclusion that whatever this was, it was Somebody Else's Problem, lean against their pallet. One draws out a box of matches, and the other fishces out a couple of cigarettes from a pocket inside his jacket. The two smoke a bit. If anyone happens to be listening, the shorter one says to the other, clearly continuing a conversation from earlier, "Eh, ye know, the lass, she's young yet. Mebbe she'll figure out 'e's not a good 'un to have around."

"Ye might have a point, but... ye know what if they.."

"Ah, yer worryin' over naught! The lass is a bright one. An' anyway," the conversation takes a sharp left turn [Hu], "it's all in God's hands anyway." Pretty soon they're arguing the points between the Protestant and Catholic points of view, and whether or not it's important in the eyes of God himself.

The clockwork twitches its leg slightly and the dog, who was obviously quite intent on claiming that particular leg, flees. The two dockworkers seem to be comming to something of a consensus regarding Job and why the good suffer, although they are caught on the finer points regarding whether the inevitibility of sin explains this suffering, or simply makes the question of divine retribution moot in light of the fact that retribution is always warrented and hence unexceptional.

Allegra returns from the back of the transport. "That was fascinating," she remarks. "It appears that the soul has actually been largely 'digested' at this point. It isn't all there anymore at the very least, although whether it has simply been reshaped into the padfoot's being or, ahem, otherwise removed I am unable to discern. It would be difficult but, if all the missing parts were collected I believe I should be able to reconstitute the soul with only the minor trauma one would expect from being digested and rended in such a manner. However, I'm afraid that until all the soul's components are recovered, the question is moot. I cannot re-cohere an item that isn't all there.

"Very well," says Neville. "We therefore must get the transport, and therefore the Padfoot, onto the roof, so as to expedite transferral into Locus Pararch, and we must reconstitute the soul. This transport by itself is not currently capable of climbing walls, and if it were to leap, the landing would damage it and the padfoot."

"Excellent, Neville," beams Desiree, "We shall leave the Solution to that Dilemma in your Capable hands, and I am sure it will be no Trouble for you, Especially considering that the Difficulty is both Unnecessary and has already been Solved. But, just in Case there are further Problems in Spite of that, I shall Pop up to Locus Pararch and let them know we are Here. I am Sure that they can Whip up something to get the Spider up to the roof, seeing as how it is their Chancel, if it is not already There by the time I Ask them."

Desiree enters the warehouse and proceeds up to the gate on the roof, where she will "knock" to announce her presence and desire to enter.

Hu fiddles with something in his coat pocket, then announces, "I'm attempting to make our vehicle more buoyant with respect to the surrounding air. If it works, the spider should be able to climb the wall no problem." Neville nods and attempts to pilot the spider up the wall. [Hu]

The spider creaks slightly as its weight is shifted, or more precisely, eliminated. A slight spring and the spider is floating slowly up, guiding itself along the warehouse's wall. Within the spider, everything that is not tied down begins to slowly float off in random directions. The padfoot is contrained in its floating as the net keeps it pinned to the floor of the transport, but everything else becomes mobile.

The two men down below glance up as the craft gracefully ascends and stare open mouthed, all thoughts of the nature man's suffering and the role of the divine in this suffering apparently lost. [Hu]

As the craft rounds the roof of the building, Neville deftly causes two of the legs to catch on some small metal pipes running along the roof and thus prevents the ascent from continuing into the smoke filled skies above Cork. The spider picks its way along the roof and inhabitants start to feel their weight returning. Gradually at first, but then with rapidly increasing force gravity returns. Random items fall to the floor of the cockpit from where they were orbiting a moment before. Again, the spider creaks as its weight returns. So does the roof on which the spider is resting. Neville splays the spider's legs out in a wide star, spreading the vehicle's weight over the warehouse's roof. Finally, the craft (and its interior contents) fully settle completely back in gravity's embrace just as Desiree appears through the door leading to the roof.

It takes a few minutes to extricate the padfoot and bring it to the gate. After that someone can bring it through the Gate quite easily. (The padfoot will need to be blindfolded to do this.) Desiree, after a polite knock, disappears from the mundane world and enters the Chancel. Allegra follows.

"An excellent idea, Brother. Such a gathering would allow us to repay the hospitality of Loci Pararch and Iruthel, and settle these affairs on neutral ground." Silas does not even blink an eye at the word 'neutral.' [Silas]

Lady Wyman looks a bit nervous at the prospect of having to deal with another chancel so immediately, but nods in agreement. "I agree that would be the best idea." She pauses and looks for confirmation from her new Family as well before continuing. "Then let us adjourn to the Great Hall and enjoy the meal set there for us."

Lord Marcus steps forward to lead the clockwork-men and padfoot to the stables. [Assuming no further objections] Lady Wyman, Dmitri and Lord O'Reilly lead the way toward the village, through it a short distance to where the repast has indeed been prepared. Though the Chancel is fairly new, there is sumptuous wine and an abundance of fine breads and cheeses, as well as a great roast and other typical feast fare. Dmitri especially speaks with Allegra, chatting about this and that, coming now and again to Solidarity and Cohesion, as oft happens between Nobles of similar domain. The meal lasts a good few hours, and the new Nobles do their best to entertain, though awkwardly at times. Even Lord O'Reilly seems to liven up at the table, enjoying a goodly amount of cake.

With the twilight finally advancing over the Glass Chancel, the Familia (individually or as a group) take their leave of the new Nobles. Heading back to Locus Fnord via the blimp near Cork seems to be the fastest route, if they so wish to travel there. [At the very least, there is a Giant Spider hanging out in Cork.]

Continue on to Act II.
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