The Storm [M][DragonSong]

[Lowen Thorn]

Something that belonged to Arvin? His mind raced for only a moment before he remembered the ring in his pocket. It belonged to his mother, but that coward took it off her and Lola almost didn't get it back after she had died. He wasn't sure if, given the circumstance, it would be of any use, but it was worth a try.

Fishing the ring out of his pocket, he handed it over to the woman. "Try this."

[DragonSong]

She took the ring and hefted it in her palm for a moment, then turned to her work table and set it to the side.

"Alright. This may take me a while, why don't you pick a book and take a seat?" she offered, gesturing toward the chair vaguely.

[Lowen Thorn]

"Sure," he replied with a nod.

He couldn't really focus on any of the books around, he was too eager to see what Ilia could find out for him. Shrugging lightly to himself, he picked up the first book in reach and took a seat. Dusting it off, he opened the cover and began loosely skimming the first page.

This was pointless.

He peered up from the book, trying to muster a small smile. "Ilia," he said quietly. "I hope I didn't sound rude earlier. You can call me Damien if you like."

[DragonSong]

She paused, then looked up at him from where she was trying to collect her ingredients. She smiled softly. "If that's alright," she murmured with a nod.

[Lowen Thorn]

Lola gave her a quick smile in return. "Of course."

Well, like she said, this could take some time. No sense in distracting her, so he may as well make himself comfortable. The book in his head was failing to catch his attention, so he rose from his seat and decided to look for a replacement.

[DragonSong]

Ilaia smiled and nodded slightly, then returned to looking through her supplies.

She settled a silver bowl on the work table, then set about measuring and preparing ingredients. She hummed softly as she worked, not entirely aware that she was doing so.

[Lowen Thorn]

Humming.

That was nice. His mother always use to hum to him as a child when he couldn't sleep.

He shelved the book he was previously skimming through, and picked up another.

"Pretty," he said as he slipped back over to his seat.

[DragonSong]

She started slightly and glanced up at him. "What--?"

Oh. Damn.

With a slight flush, Ilia turned back to her work. "Ah. Sorry, old habit, I suppose."

[Lowen Thorn]

"No need to apologize," he said, eyes buried in the book he had opened in his palm. "It was nice."

He continued to skim the pages, but that book was failing to capture his attention as well. Sighing, he replaced it for another. And then another. And then two more, as he continued to get back to his feet, swap out books, and sit back down with growing anticipation.

This is still useless.

Peering up from the current pages he had in his possession, he addressed the girl with somewhat hesitation.

"How's it coming?"

[DragonSong]

"It's coming," Ilia replied distractedly. "Just relax-- this is going to take at least a half hour longer."

[Lowen Thorn]

Damn.

Sighing, he closed the book in his possession and rested his face in his hands.

Though the room they were in made the sounds a bit more distant, he could still here the pitter patter of the rain, and the occasional thunder that went along with it. It did not seem like it was going to stop any time soon.

Lola had lost track of time since Ilia called him out on his lies earlier, but he didn't fathom that too much time had passed. Still, he couldn't help wonder if he was missing his chance.

Of course, he may have never found him on this night, and he would just be stuck outside.. in the storm.

[DragonSong]

Ilia sank into her work, nearly dead to the world around her. She crushed and blended ingredients, mixing them carefully into the bowl at steady intervals. Her humming was occasionally replaced with soft chanting in Old Serenian, with a few words of Sylvan thrown in.

Finally, she looked up. "Alright. I think you need to do this part." She held the ring out to him and nodded to the bowl. "Think about the person you're trying to find and just drop it in."

[Lowen Thorn]

Lola's eyes perked up when she finally spoke, walking over to her almost too eagerly. Gently, he plucked the ring from her and hovered it over the bowl.

His mind burned with the image of Arvin's face and the thought of vengeance, and he almost dropped it effortless into the girl's concoction, but then hesitated.

This was his mother's ring, after all.

"Will anything happen to it?" he asked cautiously. "The ring."

[DragonSong]

She shook her head, watching the bowl carefully. "It shouldn't..."

The dry ingredients caught flame, flickering with blue and green heat. She jumped back a bit, startled, then rushed forward again to blow the fire out and scoop the ring up quickly.

"OW!" Hot metal, hot metal! She blew on the ring, tossing it from hand to hand, then tossed it onto the table with one hand as she grabbed the bowl and tossed the ashes of the spell over the table, chanting quietly.

The ash whirled unnaturally, forming a miniature cyclone. Then it settled, collecting in the shape of a pentagram, and...a map. A map of the city as seen from above, with the ring settled over what would be the main park.

Ilia huffed and leaned back on her heels. "That mean anything to you?"

[Lowen Thorn]

Lola watched amusingly as the woman struggled with the heat of the ring. He felt bad, sure, but he was also relieved that his mother's ring still remained in tact.

And then the smoke cleared and a map lay atop the table.

"Not sure.." he replied absently, studying the formed shape a bit longer. "That looks like a park."

His eyes burned with concentration as they scurried over the map, particularly the image of the park. "Park," he repeated under his breath. "I passed a park on the way here.. But I don't recall seeing any residencies around that area."

[DragonSong]

Ilia shrugged. "I don't think there are-- the spell tracks where he is the moment I cast it, it's entirely possible he's out for a late night stroll..."

Her voice trailed off as thunder rumbled menacingly outside and she frowned. "Though why he would I've no idea."

[Lowen Thorn]

A small, plotting smile crept onto the man's lips.

"Yeah, he would be a fool to roam around in weather like this," he said softly. He cast a very determined gaze at the woman, trying to keep his excitement at bay. "I need to go there. Now."

[DragonSong]

Her eyebrows crept up. "Are you mad? It's raging out there!" She shook her head. "What's so damned important about this man anyway?"

[Lowen Thorn]

Mad? Pissed. Furious. Hateful and seeking vengeance. Any of those would have been better words, though that was not exactly what the woman meant.

"I never said you could come with me," he said quickly, pocketing his mother's ring and moving over to the stone surface that led them down to the hidden room. He tapped his foot on it lightly before looking back over to her. "Look, you and your father have been wonderful to me. Really. But I'd rather not get you caught up in this, so how do I get out of here?"

[DragonSong]

Ilia glowered at him. "And what do you expect me to say to Papa when he wakes up? He will hunt you down you know; he'll think you somehow had the ability to circumnavigate that seal."