FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Tranquil Waters: The Lead Crown Ch 3-6, Noriene

The Strangled Cockerel wouldn't have been Noriene's first choice for a meeting place but, then again, that's why it was so perfect. She pushed her way through the hinged doors and pulled her cowl closer around her face... not so much for anonymity, but because the hem was laced with sweet-scented herbs which went a long way to making the heavy air bearable; between the scent of stale alcohol, pipe weed, and unwashed bodies she needed something, and it was the best she had available.

Her appointment was waiting for her at one of the tables in the far back of the building which, fortunately, had an outside vent near it. Taking a seat, the Princess lowered her hood, realizing that few people would bother looking and fewer still in the run-down portion of town would recognize her face. In fact, trying not to draw attention was more likely to draw attention than her features. Of course the woman seated opposite her was such an eyesore that she was almost painful to look at probably helped redirect attention too.

The old monkey didn't bother looking up from her brown-colored soup, "You're late."

Noriene knew better than to ever expect a 'your highness' from Professor Cadence VanHousen... the sour old scholar had little in the way of people skills. In the end that suited the princess perfectly fine-- she wasn't interested in the monkey's ability to foster relationships, after all. "Then the Church owes you an apology... they rarely if ever seem to have any interest in chronology."

The monkey snorted, lowering her head down to take a very noisy sip from her soup spoon. She smacked her lips and let out a breath before speaking up, "I trust your meeting with them was worthwhile, otherwise you never would have wasted my time... or yours."

Noriene had almost removed one of her gloves before thinking better of it; between the tables and latrine, there hardly appeared to be a step up in cleanliness. Folding her still-gloved paws in front of her on the dirty surface she got straight to the point, "It was indeed worth my time... as for it being worth YOUR time, that depends..."

Professor VanHousen put down her spoon and finally looked up, staring at the wolf through her thick lensed spectacles, "And what would it depend on?"

"My contacts in the Church have confirmed that one of their Templars is missing, and that they still haven't managed to deal with him."

The monkey huffed, reaching for her spoon again, "Why would we even begin to care about a Templar deserting?"

The old scholar's arm stopped at Noriene's response, "He was a Techlar."

Cadence rested her hand back on the table, her stare becoming more intent. The term was an unofficial one, but used quite often in the University to identify a member of the Church who also had an affinity for clockwork mechanisms, and usually Air science. "I see... you now have my attention. Do go on."

A smile blossomed slowly on Noriene's muzzle, "And he has the True Breath."

The Monkey blinked once... then again, and huffed a few times in disbelief-- the first indication of any kind of animation from the usually stoic scholar. It was a few seconds before she managed to speak up, "If he's been gone more than an hour then the Church has fully and completely Code-Browned."

If a sign of life were abnormal from the Monkey, hearing her use a term coined by young students was even more unusual... the term 'Code-Brown' was mainly used by first year scholars identifying when something ended up so bad it may as well have been sent down the sewage chute. Regardless, the Professor was very right about that point... they HAD Code-Browned. "He's been gone for two months."

The monkey scoffed, "And I assume they have absolutely no idea how to go about finding him or where to look? Ha... maybe they'll have more luck PRAYING for a solution to their most unfortunate debacle."

The Princess lowered her voice as she spoke her next words, "The Order of Blades have found him... here in Newport."

The monkey raised one of her bushy eyebrows, "So the Church has gone crawling to the Order, have they? Hmm... well then they truly HAVE gone the wrong direction... in thta case I suppose they have no plans to convince him to return."

Noriene raised one of her gloved paws, scowling at the brownish hue the table top had given it, "Strangely, the Church has not taken responsibility for the Order of Blades... although my contacts within the clergy were quite certain the altercation several days back in Old Town involved the Templar and agents from the Order. I have been reassured that they have no idea who is involved with the contract."

Cadence's response was completely without commitment, "Mmm..." and she hoisted up her bowl to drink directly from it, taking several noisy droughts before draining it dry. The Monkey wiped her mouth off with the back of a sleeve and set the empty vessel back onto the table before speaking up again, "...but something tells me you may have a theory."

The Wolf didn't bother keeping a bemused expression from her muzzle as she met the monkey's accusatory stare with a smile, "If I do, let's just say I don't yet have enough confidence to present it before a committee..."

The monkey, not willing to rise to the bait, simply looked back to her empty bowl, "One of these days, PRINCESS, you will find that you give yourself far too much credit, and that you may not be quite as clever as you think you are. On that day you are going to fail. Bleh... the soup here is horrible."

Not many people could get away with attempting to undermine Noriene's value in anyone's eyes, let alone her own, but the ancient professor in front of her was one exception. Instead of focusing on the first comment she decided instead to address the non-sequitor, "For such horrible soup you didn't seem to mind guzzling it down."

Cadence let out a distinctively unladylike belch, "I paid for it, so I may as well finish it... besides... have you never heard that tearing a bandage off is much less trouble than slowly picking at it?'

The Wolf nodded, "Perhaps... but, then again, I believe this entire building is a bandage in need of changing."

The monkey shrugged, sitting back in the booth yet still somehow managing to appear to be stooped over, "Then tear it off."

Noriene likewise leaned back, "Perhaps I shall..."

There was silence between the two for several long moments before the Professor spoke up again, "We didn't come here to speak about décor or menu... perhaps you'd like to explain the plan now that you've completed your little game of espionage?"

The Wolf didn't let the Monkey's dour comment affect her in the least, "Knowing what I know now, I plan to send out feelers to locate the Templar... obviously."

Professor VanHousen seemed unimpressed, "Obviously."

Noriene smiled half-heartedly at the Monkey's repeating of her own word; it was almost infantile but, then again, Cadence was not known for her people-skills. "The Church is looking for him, and so it only makes sense that I find him first."

Cadence nodded, "Then align goals... if you want to find the Templar then maybe you should give him a reason to find you."

Intrigued at the thought, the Wolf leaned forward again, "And how would you propose I do that, Professor?"

"If he truly is a Techlar then he may have an interest in the University, and he may be looking for a place to set up a workshop."

The Princess shook her head, "No... he would be trying to lay low... he wouldn't risk practicing his art." Noriene knew better than to suggest such a thing, but she wondered if Cadence would take the bait.

The Monkey did. "Either you are far more dense than anyone gives you credit for, or you just don't understand how the True Breath works... it isn't some casual past time... it's a COMPULSION... he HAS TO create."

Noriene let Cadence's insult slide. "Be that as it may, Lord Crook was last sighted in Old Town and after--"

The Professor immediately cut her off, "Did you say 'Crook'?"

The Princess nodded, frowning finally at being interupted, "Yes... I am told it is a nickname... a title of some sort. His true name is--"

The Monkey interrupted her again, "Weisen."

She didn't bother frowning a second time, since it would be a completely wasted effort with the primate, "You recognize the name?"

A faint hint of some long-forgotten vitality came alive in the ancient scholar's eyes, "He was the reason I joined the University."

Noriene flicked a piece of something unpleasant off of the table, "That must have been quite an event to encourage a WOMAN to attempt to become a scholar-- wait..." the Wolf's ears fell in confusion, "Haven't you been part of the University for over a hundred years?"

The Monkey seemed unconcerned with the obviously inflated number, "Sixty two, and yes. By all counts, I would put Lord Weisen Crook at somewhere just over two hundred."

The Princess blinked, stunned at the number, "I thought even DRAGONS rarely lived past one century... he must be more decrepit than YOU."

Once again Cadence appeared unconcerned regarding the blatant reference to her age, "One more thing you obviously don't know about dragons with the True Breath."

Noriene nodded, content to leave things at that, "Be that as it may, I have several ideas as to how I can bring my resources to bear... if the Church wants to find this Templar then I will have to find him first."

"Then either our discussion is at an end, or you are about to suggest that you have a proposal as to how I can further waste my valuable time for your benefit."

The Princess smiled, "Oh Professor... you're 'wasting' your time for far more than just your future Queen, or have you already forgotten? I understand how memory is for someone of your age, but, honestly..."

The monkey smiled blandly, revealing numerous missing teeth, "Honestly, PRINCESS, I have been old for enough years that there is not a thing you could say that I would not have already heard a hundred times--"

Norniene smiled, chiding further, "Don't you mean a THOUSAND times? You're surely old enough that you've probably heard them no less than a thous--"

Any inking of what might have passed for humor (not that there was much of it in the first place) was fully gone from the Monkey, "I have little patience, and you've already tried all of it. You may be the Princess, but don't forget that NO ONE is above EVERYONE, and until you realize that good will inspired by your title will only get you so far I would advise that you stop. wasting. my. time." Cadence stood abruptly, every single one of the primate's joints popping at the sudden movement.

The Wolf likewise stood, her approach shifting immediately as she reminded herself that she truly did need the unbearable woman, "I understand completely, Professor. Perhaps I had crossed the line into the realm of too much familiarity, and I apologize for that... I do not often have the pleasure of connecting with such a well-regarded mind and my giddiness may have caused me to--"

The Monkey snorted out scornfully, "Enough... just tell me my part in this pageant and let me return to my office."

Noriene became that much more direct, "Well enough... your office is fine. Go about your business and await word from me... and send me a missive if you should encounter any information that might be helpful to the cause... please."

Professor VanHousen's reply was quite dismissive, "Well enough."

The scholar turned to leave, but the Princess felt compelled to offer a final parting suggestion, "Nobody else should hear of this meeting."

The Monkey showed herself out after offering a very bland, to-the-point, "That should go without saying."

Noriene waited several minutes before likewise heading out. Although she garnered a few glances from some of the patrons she let them be and made her way to the exit. Her carriage was waiting two blocks over. The door opened for her and her handmaiden waited with a welcoming smile and a paw up into the transport, "An emissary is awaiting you at your manor, my Lady."

The Princess waited until the door closed before she gave her lover a kiss, and business followed pleasure, "An emissary? From whom?"

"Your brother, my Lady."

The carriage started off immediately as Noriene puzzled through the announcement, "Why would Malcom be sending someone to speak with me mid-week? His messages usually do not arrive until the weekend..."

Her handmaiden nodded, "You have two brothers, Mistress."

Noriene was, for the first time in a long time, surprised.