Summons: The Gypsy Rose with the Sharpest of Thorns

[Glenn]

Why, yes... Glenn Burnie was well aware of what took place at the Broken Dagger the night before. He had hired two mercenaries to follow Catch around and they had somehow escaped the (quite literal) noose of the assassin that had been dogging the madman's heels. They had kept their distance the night before, however. It was one thing to futilely swing blades at an assassin. It was something entirely else to do it to a dragon. So the report had been distant and muddled, but the general idea of it sang. Burnie's interest in this matter was very specific and very frustrated. Others were dealing with the dragon. No, his concern was Catch. A man's patience, a man's kindness... these things only went so far when the man happened to be Governor. The game had changed.

So two summons were sent out, with an urchin sent all about (first to the remnants of the gypsy camp) to find Zerdali. The message was a basic sort of thing, official, not fancy, few details given, though it was stressed that she was not in the least bit of trouble. He wanted her to show up after all.

[BrokenDreamer]

The child will be made to wait till Zerdali the Magnificent was good and ready to follow. A good couple of hours at the very least. Precious time wasted to have heated water hauled up to her room so she might soak in the tub. Scrub and scrub and perfume herself. Then time to choose her clothing. Jewelry. An awful lot of that there so that will eat up plenty of time alone. Then there was make-up. Then all the warm layers of clothing to bundle into before following the bratling out into the cold.

All in good time, Glenn will find a knock upon his door and a Dali on the other side. Or, what looks like might be Dali shaped underneath all the layers. The scarves and hat and mittens. About all that is really seen is the two bright eyes peering back. Two eyes bright with rage from the events of the other night. Two bright eyes that seem to hold a special hate for Glenn.

[Glenn]

Amazingly, the urchin didn't set anything on fire in the time it was waiting. Nothing was stolen except for maybe heat. Lingering about inside with a PURPOSE was better than being stuck out in the cold in the middle of winter. Some food would have been nice but its belly was fairly small anyway. It was anything but a chooser.

And then time went by and Zerdali was marched to the unassuming Information building. Most people, when led through to see Glenn received smiles and knowing nods from the Governor's knowledge gathering and processing underlings. Dali, however, was the holder of the single worst kept secret in Myrken Wood. For her, there were gasps and a few oohs and awws, and only a bit of gawking. She could fume or she could bask, it was really up to her.

"Dali," despite the fury in her expression and the hate in her eyes, Burnie had a smile for her and not that strange one from before. "That's not a very good look for you, and really, your natural charm and pulchritude makes that a challenge, so congratulations. Quite impressive. Thank you for coming. Please sit down. We need to talk about what happened so very recently and how to best prevent such a thing from happening again. In short, we need to talk about Catch."

[BrokenDreamer]

Catch.

The woman's face screws up into an even more sour expression, not that Glenn would get the full effect of it with her features hidden away by the thick wool scarf. Stepping into the man's office, however, the woman was slowly revealed.

One coat discarded. Then another one. Scarf. Mittens. Hat. All dropped unceremoniously into a pile upon the floor.

Catch.

Still having not uttered a single word, the woman sits upon the gestured to chair with a twinkling of bells ... hands folded upon her lap, head up and looking every inch as if she were some queen and not a humble gypsy. She continues to give Glenn 'the look' all the while.

[Glenn]

It was a shame really, Zerdali. Glenn liked gypsies much, much more than he liked queens. He didn't seem wildly impressed. He had her attention though, so that was something, right? Her sour look was match still by his pleasant smile. "Oh, Dali. I know we had some WORDS, but that was very little in the history of our friendship. Isn't that the gypsy way, to forgive in the name of fidelity?"

He knew when he was pushing it but she really did bring something playful out in him. Still, this is serious business. "I have come to a point where Catch has hurt too many people and caused too much trouble. For a time, I could shelter him, try to protect him, but EVERYONE else seems to want a piece of him and he wants to be and have and love everyone else. So my options are now limited. I imprison him. I destroy him. Or I try to make him whole, so that he could either make good rational decisions, or failing that, so that we know we had tried everything we could first. You know me, Dali, a little spat aside. I'd prefer the last option. I would not want to kill a mental child if it at all can be avoided. Will you hear what I would ask of you?" Because he wasn't about to tell her things on a need to know basis if she was completely unwilling to even hear him.

[BrokenDreamer]

"Some words. Some words?! You attempted to black mail me!"

Finally, an out burst. Some spark of emotion that caused the woman to jump from her chair. One henna stained hand slapped down upon his desk, the other pointing a finger at the man's chest. "And I kept my word. Just so you know."

"I told no one. Not my problem they all guessed it!"

It really was Myrken's worse kept secret.

She huffs a few angry breaths before it finally sinks in that he's speaking about Catch. About doing something to Catch. Eyes blink and a slow breath is drawn in before she sinks back into the chair again.

"I'm listening," is mumbled out. Catch was a problem that needed to be dealt with. Descant has been right about that all along. However, he would not be happy to find out that she might soon be drafted into helping to deal with him.

[Glenn]

"Games of chance and wits." Burnie's smile only got wider at that finger. "Skill and guile and cunning. Isn't that what your kind deal in." He knew full well what she was BORN as. He also knew full well what she CHOSE to be, and it was that which he chose to see her as. If Kacela had wanted to fit in HALF as well as Zerdali, he'd value her presence. "It was a good game. I think you did well enough in it as well, no? Unfortunately, we're in winter now, and it's no longer the time for festival and fun. It's time for business."

There were papers on Burnie's desk, pertinent ones, but he didn't point to them yet. Instead, his eyes were for Dali and his smile only half remaining. "Catch was DRAWN to Myrken by a part of him that had been severed. We need to retrieve it, both to deal with him one way or the other, and to make sure no one with darker intentions for him gets it first." Then, finally, with that out there to chew over. "Unfortunately, it's at the bottom of the lake."

[BrokenDreamer]

It is true. It is in the woman's blood -- to enjoy a good puzzle. A test of wits. Even just a joke well told. Still ...

She eyes the man warily.

Then, as if finally responding to his smiles -- she smiles back. It is a bright and charming thing that comes with dimples and sparkling eyes.

"I guess you better start swimming then, Glenn. How long can you hold your breath?"

[Glenn]

And now, finally, there was a sour look upon his face. "You missed it, Dali. I sent a man down in a glass bottle, a giant one. It was impressive. And you missed it." He raised his hand. How could have she expected that in response to her jibe. "BUT, the good news is that we have another plan just as wild and you don't have to miss this one." All smiles again. Maybe she just brings the cheer out in him. She had that sort of personality. "I have a fine young man on his way here to tell you all about it. You'll be a bit of a surprise for him so try not to be too harsh on the plan. He worked very hard on it."

[BetaFlame]

Aleksei had been summoned a fair bit ago. People were used to his.. lack of focus these days. He was fairly scattered brained, what with trying to work on his project as well as trying to unravel the mystery that was Catch.

Still, he managed to look every inch to the stereotypical bookworm. Long blond hair tugged back into a tail at the nape of his neck, heavy white overcloak on his shoulders. Fortunately, the magical journal Eleanor had gifted him with kept him from having to carry a positive ream of papers around with him anymore. His walking staff made a clicking sound on the floor, and he was idly flexing his right arm, testing the recent wound. It seemed to be healing well. When he got closer to Glenn's, he tucked the arm back into the overcloak, and adjusted the mantle portion to lay better. Glenn was in a business mind, he could tell from.

He lifts the stick, cane is a be extravagant for the slightly curved smooth wooden pole he uses for a walking cane, and taps at the door to Glenn's office, other hand moving to push his wire framed glasses up his nose.

[BrokenDreamer]

The fact that Glenn now wore the frown instead of she? It made the woman's smile practically *glow*. "I'm sure it was impressive. An impressive failure, since you failed to retrieve the item you want from the bottom of the lake."

It made sense. Of course there was something there at the bottom of the lake. She had felt it the night the bells tolled. All of the gypsies had felt it. It was not long after that that they had all packed up to move on, Zerdali leaving last with Descant.

Just as Glenn spoke of another, there was a knock upon the door ... and won't Aleksei get a surprise. More than Glenn anticipates as the young man has already met Zerdali.

[Glenn]

The simple fact of the matter is that Aleksei SHOULD know her. Glenn had hired him to take over much of what he, himself, had done before he had to become Governor. It meant that he should be in the midst of everything, getting to know everyone. That he had clung to two pressing projects was unsurprising. It was his lack of contact with his new subordinate that led to him thinking that they might be strangers.

"Aleksei, come in. And no, Dali. It wasn't a failure. It was just to SEE what was down there. To make sure it was worth going to the next step." He had to get that out, for pride's sake, before going back to Dali and Aleksei. "Let me introduce you two."

[BetaFlame]

He pushes the door open and smiles nodding to the pair of them. "No need, Glenn. We've met, at the Dagger. Of course, everything happens at the Dagger."

He stepped inside and shut the door behind him. The mad definitely looked as if he could use a bit of sleep. He somehow looked.. older for that matter. Glenn hadn't even seen him since the run in with Zilliah, and that still wore on his face, making him look less.. spry, to say the least. Of course, overseeing construction in his backyard during the day, and watching and reading during the nights didn't help either. His stomach gave a protesting growl, and he smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Apologies. I haven't eaten. But.. you wanted to see me?"

[BrokenDreamer]

Copper colored brows would rise for a moment as Aleksei enters the room. Poor man, Glenn has roped him into this craziness too? A henna stained hand lifts and finger waves to the new arrival.

Turning back to the matter at hand: "And just was it that you found down there?" The question is asked as her gaze return to Glenn. Poor Catch. She should have followed her instincts and taken the man away from Myrken when she and Descant left for the winter.

Something had told her it was not safe to leave him here. Lo and behold ... it was not safe. Go figure.

[Glenn]

Yes Dali, taking Catch away would have been a huge help. You and Descant and Catch could have made a very happy family. You could have taught him to play the spoons.

"A presence, a glowing light, enough to know that there's something down there." Enough to prove the story, even if it wasn't literally a horn. OR Maybe it WAS literally a horn. "Aleksei's taken lead on trying to make sense of this all. AND he's come up with a plan to ... Aleksei, explain the plan to her an the current concerns in executing it given our distance from the sea." and from ships large enough to handle the weight. "I'm going to see about getting you some food. Don't worry. She'll know immediately where she fits in. I'll be back in a moment."

At that he popped out and yes, the Governor was going to order Aleksei some food.