Grandmother, what a big mouth you have

RP Date: 2026-10-16

Location: The Last Chance

Participants: Adamina, Hela, Lucian, Naledi

Summary

Naledi, Hela and Adamina find out they're all in Grimwych. Lucian finds out Marw is a grandmother in a parallel dimension, or whatever this is. They all ponder human sacrifice, and who to sacrifice, and why the real human sacrifice might just be the friends they met along the way.

This archive was published after approval by all listed participants.

Roleplay

Lucian is standing on a table in the center of the empty tavern, playing guitar and belting his heart out to the vast audience of chairs and tables. "Bésame, bésame mucho..." His back is to the fire, his eyes are closed, his guitar case is open at his feet with a few crumpled colorful strips of paper with portraits and numbers on them.

Hela was not suspicious. Don't be suspicious. Don't be suspicious. However, she was fully aware that perhaps she should integrate herself a little bit more into village life rather than just be the woman who lurked on the upper floor of the photography studio in daytime and came out at night. A quick glance at her watch, and she was satisfied she had plenty of time. A push of the door open and ?there is the man on a table performing a concert to zero. A blink and she considers stepping back out but no, she must be seen and perhaps overhear if anyone had just so happened to come across anything unsavory lately. To be frank, it is somewhat of an awkward situation, walking into an empty room bar a man singing his heart out. A polite nod and a smile as she heads over to the bar to claim something she can pretend to drink and look like a standard edition human.

Adamina is a few steps behind Hela, close enough to recognize her, and discreet enough not to draw attention to her niece just yet. Once inside, she blinks at the man providing a concert to...himself! The music is nice to hear though, and she smiles Lucian's way. "Please, keep going. Don't stop on my account."

Naledi was a few minutes behind the other two women, having finally ventured out of apartment above the bookstore. She had spent the better part of the day cleaning and attempting to make every room habitable (just to keep busy, really), but she needed to just get?out for a bit. She had heard talk of a tavern but had yet to explore much, so off the elf went. Stepping inside she canted her head to the side as the man strummed his guitar and sang his heart out, completely blocking the door to anyone else who might be trying to get in (or out).

Lucian grins brightly at the arrivals and finishes his song (with a lot more bésames, mainly). He hops down, giving a telling glance briefly at his guitar case, which nobody had placed a tip in yet, and holds out his arms as he walks to an optimistic number of empty glasses lined up at the bar. "¡La raza! Welcome my new friends, to the Last Chance! As the proprietors have seen fit to abandon their duties, let me offer you refreshment!" Grinning he pulls out a small silver flask from his inner jacket pocket and unscrews the cap, filling four glasses with tequila. It must be a deceptively large flask. "I am Lucian Corvo, join me in a drink!" He recognizes briefly that none of the women are soaking wet, and recognizes a few from the town hall, so doesn't dwell on any of the Grimwych Particulars.

Hela manages to grab a glass, but any thoughts of a drink evaporate the moment she sees the two people that she recognises, enter. She freezes, as though time itself has forgotten all about her for a moment, then, in a blink, turns to face them. The glass is set carefully down, both hands planted palm-down upon the tabletop. This complicates things. Unfortunately, she is not the best at masking her emotions on the best of days, so the shock on her face is as plain as day and remains there even after she purses her lips in preparation to say something. All words escape her. How does she play this? With absolutely no idea, at least some sound eventually comes from her, even if it is only a muttered, "Shitty fuckers." Then comes a distraction from the singer, alcohol. That is distraction enough. Maybe one that might actually work and buy her enough time to get the other two women on board before they pull the cover off her lie? "Wonderful. Very kind, Mr Corvo," she says with the worst attempt at pep imaginable. Abandoning the bar, she moves over to the offered glasses and picks one up, pressing it to her lips, tilting it, and absolutely not taking a sip. Instead, she just panic-lifts her brows at Naledi and Adamina as though they will somehow become psychic, instantly understand every lie she has told, and save her from the situation.

Adamina has found herself a suitable dress, tailored and mended it accordingly and has tied her hair back into a low and presentable ponytail.  The three-quarter sleeves hide some of her ink, but definitely not all of it.  The dark green fabric does bring out her eyes and brightens the red of her hair, though.  She forces her attention to Lucian first and watches him pour four glasses of tequila from a flask. "Oh, how generous of you! Thanks!"  On her way to the table to retrieve her glass she meets Hela's eyes briefly with just the slightest raising of a brow, but says nothing, having been trained from childhood to <i>keep their secrets.</i>  Looking over her shoulder last, she studies Naledi brieflly, because the woman looks a little familiar but she can't fully place her.

Naledi politely claps when Lucian finishes his song because she believes that's what one is supposed to do in these situations. However, when Hela turns around, Naledi's eyes widen in surprise and the familiar face. Her mouth opens slightly, but no words come out initially and instead she just stands there rooted on the spot blocking the door as Lucian offers them drinks. She probably <i>shouldn't</i> accept a drink from a stranger but what the hell, right? She walks towards glasses and plucks one up and toasts it in Lucian's direction. "Thank you, Sir." Then turning towards the familiar woman, Naledi offers a smile. "Long time no see, Hela," and then she downed her drink. Unfortunately, Naledi can't read minds. <br />

Lucian stands for a brief expectant moment near three women whose names he does not know, who have failed to introduce themselves, but have helped themselves to drinks. Well, different worlds must have different etiquette, and at least they thanked him, and one even clapped. Clearly they have their own drama to navigate, of which he has bo part. Except for proximity! Which makes him an essential element! Luckily, he has been given a name to latch onto! "Hela and her lovely friends! Well met and welcome. I shall sing a song of your beauty and care that all might know." He starts strumming his guitar, workshopping a new ditty in real time, "Hela...her hair of finest..." He squints briefly, "What would you say, chestnut?"

Hela starts to relax at that simple raise of her aunt's brow. Though to some it might be nothing more than a look, to her it speaks volumes in fluent Foxx. Of course, there are approximately twenty-three different meanings to a Foxx brow raise, but she knows them all including this one. A tiny, grateful nod of her head follows.Then Naledi ruins it all. The tension that has only just begun to ebb comes back in full force the moment her name is spoken by the elf. Once again, the complete inability to find any escape route claims her. Then comes a sigh. Fine. She has to roll with it. At this point, she has nearly lost track of who knows which name anyway, so perhaps it is time.A finger points accusingly at Naledi, though the tone of her voice is playful. "You suck, Naledi." Her boot hooks around the leg of a chair, dragging it closer before she drops into it. A glance goes to Lucian, followed by a shake of her hair. "Brown, I would say." Drawing her glass closer, she finally introduces herself properly. "Hela Foxx." The glass gestures towards Mina. "Adamina Foxx. Yes, we are related." Then it moves towards Naledi, a small smirk pulling at her mouth. "Naledi Bigmouth." Finally, her attention returns to Lucian, her expression briefly suspicious. "You aren't from Solol? are you?"

Adamina can all but feel some of the air leave the room when Naledi speaks Hela's name and shatters that brief moment of conspiracy like Carrie might break her mother's fine china.  She has hold of her cup, but doesn't drink yet, and adds at her introduction. "I claim her sometimes.  Pleasure to make you acquaintance, Mister Corvo."  Her blue eyes are sweeping the man's face with a study that is more keen than it looks.  Just who is this tequila benefactor?  Her mother wouldn't associate with him for alcoholic beverages alone. "There weren't any singers that good in Solol," she adds to Hela. "I'd remember."

Naledi huffs at Hela's admonishment and unintentionally gives a small pout. "What did I do?" As Hela makes her introductions, blue eyes shift to Adamina. She had looked vaguely familiar to the elf?being a Foxx made sense then. Naledi wrinkles her nose at Hela before taking a seat opposite her. "Ha ha very funny," she says at her given name, although she doesn't offer up her actual surname. She suddenly glances around the room a bit nervously. "There's, uh, not any more of you around here, is there?" Particularly of the male variety who live in an apartment above the Solol convenience store and have a propensity for cigarettes, beer, and pizza. Things were already complicated for her here, no need to throw Orin in the mix. Turning back towards Lucian she offers a kind smile. "Thank you for your songs, Mr. Corvo. And your tequila," she adds. <p class="p1"><br /></p>

Lucian seems as shocked as anyone at Hela's introduction, his fingers growing still and not bothering to find a rhyme for chestnut. He mutters, "¿Rapositas?" The man works his tongue around the inside of his teeth for a moment before remembering he holds a solution to this situation, and downs his glass of tequila in one swallow. While that warms his throat and belly, he starts trying to play a game of guess-the-ladies-ages-and-do-some-math. "Hela and Adamina Raposita." Adamina's name be recognizes from Marw's accusation. Even she seems to not have all the threads in this knot. "And you are...sisters? Perhaps you have older sisters as well?" Naledi. She doesn't appear to be a Foxx. The ears, for one. "You are most welcome, Señorita Bocón. And I am unfortunately not from this beautiful town of Solol, but lately of Santa Cecilia. I travel, though perhaps never before so far as I have this time. You are all faring well? Shelter, food, now you know where to find tequila?"

Hela extends her arm, offering her glass of tequila to Adamina, assuming her compliments about the musician's singing are an attempt to sweet-talk her way into more drinks. She might as well have this one. "This should secure my position as favourite." There is a moment where Hela tilts her head, toying with the idea of letting her false identities be known, but she veers on the side of caution, an odd move for her, and says to the elf, "I will catch you up on it another time." Some of the humour slips from her, however, when Naledi asks about the people from home. "There is a girl called Lettie and her parents. They are here, and they are sorta from Solol. There was someone who made me think?" A dismissive wave of her hand follows as she drops that line entirely. "To be honest, I was about to ask you the same." She bites the tip of her tongue as she considers saying his name aloud, for some reason the absence seeming more real if she speaks of it. But not asking has never benefited anyone. "Isaac. Do you know if he is here?" As Lucian seems to have confused their surname for something else, she leaves Adamina to deal with that, gesturing from her aunt towards the man as though inviting her to provide clarity.

Adamina still has her own glass of tequila, which she now takes a sip of.  It is different in flavor than anything she's ever had, but not unpleasant and suitably alcoholic.  The word <i>raposita </i>doesn't draw any kind of reaction from her, but she does take Hela's glass with her tattooed arm, the one with the kraken with its tentacles wrapped around a running fox.  It is not new ink. "There are two others here that I'm aware of, and Lettie." She makes a bit of a face at having...Lettie...attached to the family in any kind of fashion.  The girl was weird.  She focuses on Lucian so Hela and Naledi can speculate appropriately on the whereabouts of their friends and exes, having nothing to contribute in that regard. "Santa Cecilia is a lovely name.  Do you miss it?  Was it near the sea?"  The questions are a mix of polite conversation and genuine curiosity. "I've been staying at the watchtower and working to repair my boat.  Once it 's shipshape again, I wouldn't mind taking you all out fishing, or sailing if I can get the small sail operational."  It's a nice distraction from the elephant in the room, one she circles back to out of necessity. "I'm her aunt.  Her mother is my much older sister, Hildako, who is also here."  Consider that fair warning, Hela.

Naledi drums her fingertips along the tabletop, but shakes her head at Hela's query. "No, I haven't seen him. The only other Solol person I've seen is Lex. And Marw." The latter didn't much look like herself from Solol, though. And the elf wasn't about to approach her and make conversation. She is half listening to Lucian and Adamina chat. "I'm staying in the apartment above the book shop." Turning to Hela she raised an eyebrow. "What about you?" Then to Lucian. "How long have you been playing guitar?"<br />

Lucian distracts himself briefly fishing the medallion of Santa Cecilia from under his shirt, on its thin chain. Aunt? Hildako. Much(?) older. Not Marw. How can he get them to say Marw's name. "No, not too close to the sea, but much of my country is. It is named after the patron saint of musicians, so you see I keep Santa Cecilia close to my heart." and then Naledi brings him deliverance, and he kisses the saint's medallion quickly. He smiles brightly to his new friend, the bigmouth. "Ahhh, Boconita. I first pick up the guitar when I slip away from the priests as a child. They find me hours later on the street corner with the mariachis, skipping my lessons on history and language. But what is song if not history and language?" He grins brightly and strums a triumphal cord. "So these Rapositas have yet more aunts and sisters, Hildako and Marw? It must be much for you to keep track."

Hela catches the face Adamina makes when talking about Lettie and furrows a brow. "Hey, she is? different. That isn't a bad thing." Still, that in itself is an interesting link between Naledi and Lettie. Her head inclines towards Naledi. "Lettie actually took your old job at the shop? well, less customer-facing because?" The reason remains politely unspoken. Then another little knowledge bomb is dropped directly into her lap. Her mother is here too. "Shit," she says with complete inelegance. Now she really wishes she could drink without vomiting it straight back up. Her attention drifts away from the conversation for a moment as she tries to work out what to make of any of this. Her cheeks puff as she holds in a breath for several seconds before letting it escape in one large, noisy whoosh. "Shit," she says again, because clearly the first time was not enough. A blink, and she tries to pull herself back into the here and now. Then, when Naledi confirms she has not seen the person Hela wishes were here the most, another small nod follows as she tries to tell herself it is probably for the best. Before she can quite convince herself of that, the elf utters her grandmother's name. Hela grins and shakes her head adamantly. "No. That isn't her. For a few minutes at the meeting, I thought that woman was. She looks the spit of the painting when she was younger, but it isn't." Then she points towards a wall in entirely the wrong direction, though symbolically it is close enough. "Photography shop. Upstairs." A shake of her head goes to the musician as she corrects him. "Marw is my grandmother." Her gaze drops briefly to the medallion, recalling some of the words he spoke only moments before. "Patron saints? You believe in the gods, then?"

Adamina downs the rest of her glass of tequila; at this point she is doing much more listening than talking and absorbing the slew of information around her.  She keeps her face despite Hela's approval of Lettie.  There is just something about the werelynx that Mina has and still finds completely off-putting, and from her niece she doesn't attempt to hide that. "--because she's weird.  Mother would never have her where anyone could see."  She sits back, taking Hela's glass now while the pair question Lucian.  It buys her some time to deliberate on how much she wishes to share with anyone about Marw.

Naledi tucks one leg up near her chest and lofts a brow when Hela explains that Lettie took her old job at the shop. "Is that right?" Bless the poor girl, it wasn't for the weak of heart. Marw ran a tight ship there. Still, the elf squints at the woman seated across from her. "Are you sure? I'm pretty sure it was your grandmother?" She lets her ruminate in that for a bit, nodding when she mentions the photography shop, before shifting her attention to Lucian. "Ah, I see. I never had much use or time for gods myself, admittedly. Or at least, the worshipping part." Naledi squints at Adamina. "Did we meet in Solol?"

Lucian licks his teeth again. This is a lot. And does he believe in...the gods? That's an odd way to phrase it. He shrugs and grins, lifting a few more saint medallions from connected chains. "I believe in people, I think. San Sebastián, he was a soldier who carried on when other men may have fallen. Santa Cecilia, a musician. People who believe something strongly enough to act on their conviction. I think this is important. What else happens in the heavens? Sepa la bola, who knows." He is crestfallen when Naledi dashes his hopes for further gossip. His little big mouth! He can't just name drop Marw again. He pins Adamina with his gaze this time, since Marw mentioned her, "So did you girls all work in the family business? It is nice to see familiar faces, I imagine."

Hela tilts her head to Mina, in agreement, her point was dead on. "But still she gave her a job." A loft of a brow. "She knew the girl needed some responsibility to try to encourage her into maturing, a job does that." She unfurls an arm again, this time to reach out and flick Adamina's arm for no purpose bar just to be annoying. "Give the girl a chance." She shakes her head at the thought the woman was her grandmother, adamant and wholly incorrect. However as it becomes apparent the three women have quite a familiar network from their prior cursed village to this cursed one, she looks to Lucian again "Have any of your people come too? Or are you here on your own?"

Adamina smirks at Hela at the flick and slides the empty glass her way. "I'll pass."  Both glasses are empty now, and she's squinting at Naledi. "Maaaaybe? Maybe in passing? I remember you working for my family, but I can't recall if we ever really sat down and got to know each other." Her head begins to pulse with the beginnings of a headache. "Well, i'm sort of the black sheep of the family, and I had my own business when I wasn't out sailing, so I was kind of here and there.  But?" Now she looks at both of the other women. "Do you think it's truly a coincidence so many people from Solol specifically are here?"

Naledi shrugs her shoulders at Adamina's inquiry. "It is a bit odd. I haven't lived in Solol for a year or so but I did live there for a long time. And well, it is a cursed village?" the elf trails off, leaving the rest of it unsaid because what else is she supposed to say? She smiles at Lucian's explanation of believing in people. She liked that. In her experience that was much harder in practice, but she wasn't about to say that out loud. 

Lucian comes to an abrupt stop and does a triple take at Hela, as the piece of grit she dropped several moments ago finally catches in the gears of his mind. Grandmother?! Well. She must have started early. A bit too honestly, he answers Hela, "Oh, no, I have no people," more concerned with refilling everyone's glass from his same flask, drinking his, then refilling his an additional time. That's better. What is time, anyway? Naledi has pointy ears. Who's to say how old Marw is. Not him, certainly. Never ask a lady. Hela doesn't think its Marw either. Something shiftier is going on. Probably la cosa mala, somehow. As soon as he gets his weapons to work, and work on post office evil spirits, oh boy... He shakes his head and looks at the young ladies (who collectively have several centuries on him). Now just to tie this all together, without letting anything slip. Discretion. "She is your grandmother?" He frowns quietly at the tequila, which has betrayed him in the end.

Hela does ruminate over Adamina's question; it is indeed a weighty one. There is, by far, a disproportionate number of people from Solol, and from her family, here. She has no reasonable explanation for it. "Maybe it was Gran. She sent us all away so she could finally?" She draws a line across her neck, accompanying it with a quiet, "Chhhhk," before adding, "?Grandpa." She does not really believe it, though the idea amuses her. Her eyes snap to Naledi, narrowing slightly as she asks with caution, "Any chance it might be Lex's lot?" She gives Lucian a slow nod. "Yes, my grandmother is Marw. That's Adamina's mother and Naledi's ex-boss." A sideways glance goes to Adamina. "Imagine if she did come here. The lake would probably chuck her straight back out." A small smile tugs at the corners of her mouth at the thought. "Though it would be nice to have her here for Christmas, at the very least. Demanding we all arrive by noon, the table laid out all nicely, everything cooked for us, and?" Her voice trails off as her mind slips down the slippery slope of memory. The arguing, the games, the attempt to make everything orderly and the inevitable failure of it. There is a fondness to the chaos, even if Hela always did her best to disguise the fact she does not eat the food so much as move it around her plate. "She is a taxidermist. Used to be a seamstress before, but my aunt Joyanne?" A quizzical look is shot towards Adamina, just in case that one has somehow turned up here too. "?has taken that over. But yes now and again I helped out."

Adamina eyeballs Lucian's flask, but no more tequila is offered, and she's not desperate enough to ask a stranger for any. "Yes, it is," she replies politely to Naledi. "And everyone present within its borders when the curse was cast is also cursed." Not Hela, who hadn't been born yet. Her niece's words are like a heavy hand, squeezing her chest because she can see the whole Christmas ensemble laid out, including. fyllt cheating at cards and Dwain getting irritated, how they had to find new interesting things to give Carrie because she'd been seven years old for 200 years. Hildako's husbands, Dwain's wives, time gone by, but it's a circle like the clock in the tower not a path that moves forward. Adamina frowns. "How long were you away before you came here?" She questions her niece quietly.

Lucian tops up Adamina, recognizing that look, or at least thinking he does. He sets his flask down again and starts quietly noodling on his guitar, keeping his hands busy. And his mouth closed. Abuelita Raposa... saying that is a good way to end up very poisoned. But also, what a unique opportunity to gather information. "So some things are the same, but some things are different. From our worlds to here. In my world, we do not have faeries except in stories." He gestures toward Naledi here, still not differentiating between wing-type and ear-type nonhumans. "What else is the same, or different? This woman you have seen, she is the wrong age? That is a difference. I have had difficulty..." Do they know what uzis are? "Making fire with some of my tools, but I see others with no such problem. That is a difference."

Hela notices that moment in Adamina and, once again, reaches out. No playful flick this time, just a hand to her shoulder and a small squeeze. "I have been here, I think, a month or so? We will be back soon, Mina. We just have to kill someone on some rocks and we are free." Her hand slips away, only for one finger to point at Adamina. "Though you are not allowed to run off to any ships until I am married. But I will get my arse into gear with the arrangements as soon as I am back, so I won't keep you from running off for too long." A sideways glance goes to Naledi and she smirks. "She is an elf. Not a fairy. We have both in our world. And a lot of other things." That, however, reminds her to check her watch, which she does with a quick glance. She only has a few minutes before she needs to err on the side of caution and leave. She gives a small nod at the mention of the difference. "Yeah, the lookalike in the village is younger. You are onto something, though. This place seems to have differences?"She is not especially forthcoming about her own difference. Instead, she leans back in her chair, watching Adamina with quiet curiosity, wondering whether her aunt has noticed anything different in herself.

Adamina 's frown deepens considerably and now she looks down at her hands. <i>I wanted to get married.</i> None of that now; she'd sailed away instead. "Well the crew I was signed on with are all dead so I would have to find another vessel to crew up with anyway." Beyond that, she says nothing. No speculation about her mom, no information, nothing.

Lucian raises an eyebrow toward Hela, appraising her anew. "You speak with such confidence about the sacrifice. Do you know something we do not know?" He tilts his head in genuine curiosity, watching the younger Foxx's reaction. "I do not know that I believe in the promises written in a single book. That one life sacrificed can mean salvation for us all? It is..." he rubs his fingers together like he has bills in them, "Not very expensive. For the sacrifice, maybe, but for everyone else? I do not know. It seems like believing in the gods, as you say."

Hela is distracted for a moment by the sorrow in her aunt. A frown claims her expression and she says quietly, "Drink up." As Lucian is clearly not part of Team Sacrifice, judging by those words, she lofts a brow and, with a slightly defensive air, crosses one leg over the other and folds her arms across her chest. She herself has, in the past, been part of a decision to sacrifice one person's life so another, herself, could survive. Now it is one for many?possibly. "Hmm," she starts. "I am not religious. Gods are just egotistical mages. And that's the issue. People believing some higher power will take action and save them stops them from taking action themselves." A shrug follows. "Anyway, it doesn't matter now. The idea has been planted. Let's pretend tomorrow the village revotes and votes no. There is still going to be someone who takes it into their own hands and kills someone there. So it is inevitable now." She pauses after saying it, only then seeming to realize that perhaps she should be careful with her choice of words. "I wouldn't, though. I am not talking about me. Someone else." And just in case that was not enough. "I definitely wouldn't."

Adamina has kept her thoughts on any kind of sacrifice?and most everything else, to herself. She gives her niece they pointed look as Hela continues rambling. "Excuse me, please, I need some water."

Naledi shrugs her shoulders, palms raised when Hela asks if "Lex's people" are responsible for them all ending up here. "They do some crazy shit so who knows, honestly." She lets the others chat after that, getting lost in her own thoughts, smirking when the conversation turns to what she is and she instinctively runs her forefinger along the point of her left ear. Naledi's expression sobers at the mention of the sacrifice, blue eyes dropping to the barely drunk tequila in her glass. "How do you think they'll choose?" She asks the group at large before Adamina excuses herself for some water.<br />

Lucian has been the one receiving the 'methods of choosing' ideas, and is in a unique position to answer Naledi's question with particular insight. Naledi... Bigmouth. He smiles and turns to address Naledi, "Well, Boconita, I can say right now the majority favors simply sacrificing Morgane as thanks for putting the idea in our heads. Now, me? I do not think it is too late." He smiles and dips his head toward Hela and her point. "Maybe someone will, maybe no. Maybe they will only try, and not succeed because now we are forewarned. All I do know is, never once in my life have I saved a village by only killing one person. I believe it to be a bridge very difficult to un-cross. I think we should be quite sure before we make such a sacrifice."

Hela watches Adamina for a moment, only half-listening to the others. Whatever responses she has can wait. "One moment?" She moves over to the bar, quickly grabbing a glass and filling it with water before handing it to Adamina. Quietly, she asks, "You alright? Do you want to stay with me tonight? You can have the bed. I have to leave in a second, but just come if you want." Then she heads back to Naledi and Lucian, though she doesn't reclaim her seat. The brief interruption seems to have cured her moment of verbal diarrhoea. There is a twitch at the corner of her mouth as Lucian reveals that perhaps her favoured method is currently in the lead. That, however, raises an interesting question: could she force a clear, unbeatable lead in the vote? Leave a stack of a dozen or so papers with a certain someone's name written across them? "I have to go. Lovely to see you again, Naledi <i>Bigmouth</i>. Mr Corvo, wonderful to meet you and I suppose we will just have to wait and see what happens. Have some hope though; don't be so glum. And if you meet my mother?" A beat. "Good luck." Then she turns towards the door, glancing back at Adamina with a brief, questioning look. One final check of her watch follows before she departs at a quick pace.

Adamina didn't want the water so much as she wanted an excuse to leave the table and the topic of conversation. She offers Hela a suitable smile. "I might stop by later." Now robbed of her polite reason to depart she is left with Mr. Corvo and Naledi. "I don't think it is ever fortunate for anyone that an innocent is murdered, at least in my experience," is all she offers.

Naledi considers the idea of a sacrifice and goes back to tapping her fingers on the table. On one hand it did sound ridiculous. On the other, the cult back in Solol basically kidnapped her and used her blood to bring her husband's ex-fiancé back from the dead. So. "I guess we will find out more at the next meeting," she surmises, after waving goodbye to Hela and rolling her eyes at the wrong surname once more. "Morgane might want to be careful though, if people have suggested her as you say, Mr. Corvo."

Lucian nods along with Naledi, "Well, as Hela Raposita warns us, perhaps we all need to be a little careful. Someone may decide to act on their own initiative." He gnaws on his lip for a moment, then looks at both Adamina and Naledi. He can't tell them about Marw's secret underground bunker, he'd be poisoned. "I do not think any innocents should be murdered. In my opinion, murder is a currency best traded between those for whom innocence is a distant memory. But, if either of you, or your friends, or nieces, or sisters, are in trouble? You can come here. There are rooms upstairs, there are stout doors that lock. And there is Lucian Corvo. Alright?"

Adamina takes a swallow of water and swirls it around in her mouth, finding that even if it isn't seawater, she doesn't care to have it there. Maybe it's time to find some wine or a tea shop or some rum or something. Anything but water.  A quiet nod is her answer to Lucian's words. "That's very generous of, Mr. Corvo, and I appreciate that. If we must talk about this.? and I guess we've no choice now, what exactly did this person say was required?  What kind of ritual is she trying to perform?"

Naledi bows her head and smiles kindly towards Lucian. "Thank you, you're too kind." The elf casts a sideways glance at Adamina and nudges her glass of tequila in her direction. "I don't have any family, myself. I just have my husb?" she cut herself off. "Lex." Blowing out another heavy sigh sends an errant lock of raven hair skittering across her face. "I don't know if there were a ton of details given? Or maybe there were and I just blocked them out. From what I understand and remember, there were people here before us, and there was a murder over by some rocks. And they believe that the murder was more of a sacrifice that I guess opened up some kind of portal that allowed the rest of the villagers to go home to wherever they came from."

Lucian clarifies quietly, "Morgane found a book in a language none of us can read, so far as I know. Except her. And she says the book says that is what happened. But there was no body left at the stones for us to find, from when the journal writer performed her ritual."

Adamina chews a little on her lower lip. "So everyone is so keen to kill somebody just because one person with a book that no one else can read says so. Can this woman be trusted?  How do we know that what is in the book is true?  Are they looking for a particularly human sacrifice or just a living person?"

Naledi shrugs her shoulders. "I think a human sacrifice? We were instructed to anonymously send Mr. Corvo here our suggestions on how to choose said sacrificial person. I assume it will be discussed at the next meeting."

Lucian rolls back his shoulders, "I do not know the manner of the ritual. Just as my world has no faeries or elves, we have no magical human sacrifice that redeems us all. Important things to mention at our next village meeting, I think. Important to keep in mind when we think about who to trust." He retrieves his guitar and pats it lightly, and slips his flask into his coat pocket. "Well, Adamina Raposita, Naledi Boconita, it has been a pleasure. Leave the glasses, I will clean them upon my return. For now, I must trek to the post office and face the evil spirit that dwells there in a battle of wits."

Adamina frowns again.  She looks at the glass of water but can't bring herself to take another swallow of it. "That means your world has no curses then either, right?" she questions.  He has a point, a lot of points.  There is only one person to have this kind of conversation with, one person who can fully detail how the board is set. "I'll be going also.  I want to be back to the watchtower by sundown.  Take care, you all."

Naledi slowly stands from her seat and bows her head towards Lucian. "Thank you for the song and the drink." Turning towards Adamina she offers a wave. "Good to see you again." She had to have seen her at the shop back when she worked for Marw Foxx. The elf couldn't leave the glasses?whether it was her past trauma, customer service background, or kind nature she wasn't sure. But Naledi would collect the glasses and wash and dry them in a back kitchen before taking her leave.