The guards posted at the entrance to the Chalk warren don't see the ghost following Aviri, or notice the shelwhal horn (which is hidden inside his shirt anyway). "Where've you been, Aviri?" the bigger guard, Brosk asks him, rabbit nose twitching like mad. "You smell like death and otters."

Aviri slows only a little bit as he walks passed the guards. He avoids their eyes and mutters something about dead otters as he continues towards his room.

This early, only a few Lapi are up and about - mostly in the kitchens. There are certainly others awake, but they'll be out in the fields. Even Parsley should be off milking Rughrats.

Aviri's Room
Like every other room in the Chalk Warren, this one has been carved out of the chalk deposit. Shelves and cubbies are gouged out wherever needed, and everything given a layer of plaster to cut down on the dust. As is typical for Lapi of Aviri's age, he's in a 'bachelor scrape' - a single room - that he ostensibly shares with another rabbit. The room has two narrow beds, a small table and some lamps and other bits of necessary furniture, but otherwise seems too tidy for two young men to be sharing.

"Well, at least it's neat," Silv comments invisibly into Aviri's left ear. He feels a slight chill from the ghost sticking so close.

"Thanks," Aviri says, though an outside observer would probably assume he was talking to himself, and thus nothing would be out of the ordinary. He opens a drawer and begins counting out some coins. "Were you neat?"

"Extremely!" Silv claims. "Always groomed, teeth all shiny, ivory buttons polished! And hands washed. I kept a canteen of soapy water just for washing my hands. Don't forget your toothbrush. You have one, right? And a comb. Your fur is just a mess.."

Aviri freezes, puts the money back in the drawer and says, "Right. I need to get cleaned proper." He looks aroumd a moment as if wondering which way to go before taking the only door back out into the warrens. "Supplies'll wait," he says quietly to himself.

"Ack, you actually wash down in here in all this dust?" the ghost asks, still clinging to Aviri's back. Silv has already said how scared she is of the warrens. "We really shouldn't take too much time."

"We'll be fine," Aviri says to her. Then, quietly, "And that box was certainly not haunted." He expertly navigates the tunnels toward the baths. "And yes, we wash down here. Or at least I do. Away from ... people.""

"I don't count?" the raccoon-ghost asks. "It's hard to haunt a box, I imagine. They don't respond well to it. Seems pointless."

Aviri slows a bit. "Well, you seem alright, so far. Plus, I can't get away from you, so even if I wanted away from you I'd have to learn to deal with it."

"This brings back memories," the ghost notes. "I used to wash my kids you know. Good old.. uh.. Fenster? Felicia? Something like that. I'm sure there were at least two of them.."

Aviri takes off his shirt, forcing him to re-hide the horn under it as he gets ready to clean up. "You'll stay by the horn?" he asks.

Aviri nods and makes sure to remain as close to the shirt--and horn--as possible. "So, evil demons?" he asks when drying.

"Well, I don't know about evil.. or if it's a demon.." Silv notes. "They don't give you a handbook or anything when you become a ghost that lists all the supernatural horrors you're likely to encounter. It's just a feeling. You're a Lapi, haven't you ever felt.. hunted?"

Aviri looks at where Silv would have been as if she had grown something out of her forehead--made all the more impressive because he couldn't see her forehead. "I don't like people," he says. "But that's just me. No demons responsible."

"Why don't you like people?" the ghost asks. "Where you dropped on your head as a baby? Mother frightened by an angry mob? Low self-esteem? Too much self-esteem? Vitamin deficiency? You probably aren't eating enough slugs!"

Aviri looks at his grimy cloths and, taking an extra towel, wraps them and the horn up to take back to his room. "Just don't. Too ... unpredictable. Can't know what's going to happen." He shrugs. "Like plants better."

"Ah, so you're a coward!" Silv claims. "Why didn't you say so? I've met lots of cowards!"

"But that's unrealistic," the ghost claims. "You need to be prepared for anything, not just what you expect. Because what you expect is almost certainly going to be the one case that never happens."

"Except with plants," Aviri says. "And even if they do something unexpected, it's always nice." He deopists his dirty clothes in a nook and begins getting dressed. "Woke up the other day. Normal day. Now speaking with a ghost." He shrugs. "Never would happen with herbs."

"I dunno 'bout that," Silv claims. "I've met some herbs that'll make you see all sorts of things you weren't expectin'!"

"I can chose not to consume herbs. I can't chose not to ... people." He sighs as he finishes his clean attire. "Ah, much better. Now, to gathering." He returns to the drawer and once again starts counting out money.

"So, herbology pays well, does it?" Silv asks. "I feel weird now. Like I'm haunting another ghost."

Aviri smirks. "Serves it right for being a ghost," he says. "And ... sure, I guess. I save most of it. Most everything's covered already." He crosses to a desk and begins pulling out rolls of paper, a few bottles of ink, and some pens. "Just, gotta get a few more things and we can leave the double-haunted tunnels."

Some time later, Aviri and his invisible guide arrive at the Bote Rentils stand. There, Silv's old hat is vibrating where it covers the face of a napping Linyala who is just lying out on the dock. Trilup is sitting on the ground with her back to the rental shack, trying not to look like she's dozing off and jerking back awake.

"Huzz- wha?" Lin shakes her head to clear the buzzing and swatts at her face. She blinks her eyes open and sits up, pushing the hat back onto her head.

"Bah!" Trilup barks as she jumps to feet. "What? Hey, Aviri is back.." she points out. "With my horn, I hope!"

Aviri procures the horn from his (clean!) clothes and offers it up. "Did you write down the symbols?"

Linyala peers up at the vibrating hat. "Is it s'pposed to do that? Oh hi Avery."

Linyala nods. "So t'wakes me up when ya want it to. Fancy! An' we didn't get too far on the symbols. But Silver wrote 'em down on ghostey paper."

"Yes," Silv claims. "It's right here under my hat. I think. There was one that looked like a squigglepuss.. and.. uh.. I never could read my own handwriting that well.."

Aviri sighs. "Right. Yeah. Are they on the box itself? Could you just show me what symbol made the ... vine ... thing ... ?"

Lin pulls the box free from her belt and twiddles the dials until the branch symbol is at the front. "This's the one that made it all tentacley and run around the edge o'the spring."

Aviri takes the box and stares intently at it, not even blinking, before suddenly handing it back. "Thanks," he says. "Anything else you've found?"

"Nope. The pieces got blurry an neither of us were gettin' anywhere so we took a nap." Lin accepts the box and spins a dial idly.

"So, got your stuff out of your hole?" Trilup asks. "Are you gonna stay on my family barge?"

The lapi bites his lip. "Don't think I'd ... I'd rather rent somewhere I can be alone. Or ... as alone as I can be now."

"Get something big enough for the girls to sleep over in too," Silv suggests. "It will making haunting you all much easier and efficient."

"Ooooh, no. Two days lost in a swamp is enough for me," Aviri says. "They've got homes that aren't infested by demons."

"I have money," Aviri says. "What I may or may not rent remains to be seen." His eyes flick toward the box. "You done with that?"

Linyala says, "That sounds beter. Then my brother wouldn't steal anythin'." She looks at the box and reluctantly hands it to Aviri. "Just don't hide it.""

"Or let Jack find it!" Trilup warns. "He might have some sort of treasure detector! And we still ahve to tell him we didn't find Swampy.."

Aviri looks at the box a moment. A hand wavers toward one of the dials, but he withdraws it and puts the chest into his bag. "Jack's ... odd," he says.

"Nothing irreplacable," Aviri says. "Just blank paper, pens, ink, a few changes of clothes ...." his voice trails off. "Maybe should've brought ..." He shakes himself. "Nothing irreplacable," he says again.

"I'm pretty sure it ate a cigar box I had next to it," Silv notes. "Or one of the crew stole it. I like staying in nice places, by the way. Anyplace here that has room service?"

"You know.. a place where someone who comes and cleans the place, and turns down the bed, and brings fresh towels, and brings you food.. Like having a mother you can tip and doesn't nag you about 'when will I see my grandkids' and 'why are you with that guy, instead of just turning him in for the reward' and 'where'd you get that rash..'.."

"When I find where I'm sleeping," Aviri says, "I'll keep it pretty clean." He shrugs.

"That sounds really weird an' creepy." Lin says, "They jus' go inta yer room and rearrange everythin'?"

"No, they just clean it," Silv asserts. "I'm guessin' that is not a thing in this town though. I've been stuck in a corpse in a swamp for 70 years, just please make it someplace nice and bright?"

Aviri nods. "A night in that swamp was enough for me. Can't iagine a literal lifetime...." He looks at the ceiling. "Don't want to imagine's more accurate," he mutters.

"Don't worry, it's not like being haunted will give you nightmares about my horrible afterlife, right?" Silv says.

"Sure kid," the ex-Rath'ani claims. "Maybe not by ghosts, but.. you know.. poor life choices."

"Although not too many of those," Silv admits. "My life was AWESOME! Full of romance and adventure and heroism! And also taxes."

"Ah," Aviri nods. "Well, I'll let you know if I had nightmares about a horrible afterlife." He tilts his head. "Didn't think pirates ... er ... um ... paid taxes."

"I wasn't a pirate, I was a smuggler," Silv notes. "And before that.. I was a tax accountant."

"No.. yes.. I wasn't a smuggler right away," the ghost notes. "First I was an accountant at my father's business. You know what accounting is, right?"

"Yeah, it's making up excuses," Trilup says smugly. "You know, 'I couldn't do that chore on account of Tulip set my tail on fire.'"

"Eh.. close enough," Silv concedes. "Let's see these rental rooms, yeah? Spend your money on comfort while you can, because it's ... aqua-kavi barges afterwards."

"Not gonna just waste it," Aviri says. "Also, my idea comfort different from most."

"You really are a living ghost," Silv complains. "Trust me, you'll like it! I'm sure the girls will, right?"

Linyala adjusts her hat to see better and says, "So th'floor is gonna be nails and spikes then?"

"Woah, no," Aviri says. "Been over this. They already have non-infested homes. And yes. Nails and spikes. 'Cept the bed. That's pumice."

"What? No," Trilup says. "I mean, that you could stay with? Kadies? Umm.. any friends at all?"

"Acquaintances," Aviri says. "Didn't expect to be staying with anyone at all. Hence the money." He turns to Silv. "As for room service, I don't like the idea of people sifting through my stuff. Even just to clean. Might do it wrong."

"If you get a cottage, we can experiment with the box in it," Trilup says. "Jack's cursed stuff never escapes his cottage. I think."

"'T's not cursed," Aviri claims. "Just ... tricky. And what's wrong with the public baths for experimenting?"

"Tha 'public' part fer one." Linyala points out. "Not so goot t' have curses terrizin' everyone who'se jus goin ta wash up. Though that gives me an idea for a prank... Later!"

"People use them. And.. Gunther might find out," Trilup says, lowering her voice in case the notorious Kadie is hiding nearby.

"You scared of Gunther?" asks Aviri. "You met Swamphy and you're scared of Gunther?"

"He's an Honorary Otter Scout," Trilup says. "That makes him double dangerous."

"Didn't know kadies were half as dangerous as Swampy," Aviri mutters. "Good to know. I'll be more careful, in the future."

"Sounds like one of my kids," Silv notes with a ghostly cackle. "We gonna stand around until lunchtime or find a place to work?"

"You didn't take a nap?" Lin asks, "It's been-" She counts off on her fingers, runs out of fingers, adds toes, runs out of any kind of digit including her tail- "A long time to not sleep. Get yer cabin, me an Tril kin fiddle with the box, Silv kin wake ya in a few hours. Sound good?"

"You can take a nap in a big pile," Silv suggests. "That's how we did it on the Laughing Flanghammer! Or was it the Lunging Fluglehorn? No... definitely the Dancing Ffff...rogskipper?"

"But you should want to be!" Silv says. "All young people want to be on airships! Up in the clouds, dumping waste over the side, getting drunk in the thin air.."

"It was still glorious!" Silv shrieks, sounding a bit more like a proper angry ghost. "How'd I get stuck with swamp-dwellers and someone who talks to plants? I'm being punished!"

Aviri thinks a moment. "I admit, I'd have liked to fly that ship. But it's gone now." He looks hard at Trilup. "I'll find a nice clean room to ... mourn."

"You can share my room if you run out of money," Trilup says. "But I get to sleep on top."

"Tha part where he talks ta plants is weird. An I'm gonna arrange t'ave some scouts refloat it an see about gettin' it in workin' order again. An airship would make an awesome adition t'he scouts. But kin we please go find Aviri a place ta stay?" Lin asks, starting to get agitated.

Aviri looks around the group in shock. "Where is this 'we' coming from? I'm going to find a place." He shoulders his pack and heads for the cottages, muttering.

"We gotta stick together," Trilup claims. "And someone has to do the talking in case you go back to muttering. Have you ever rented anything? You hafta haggle!"

Aviri looks at her with a do-I-look-like-the-haggling-type kind of look but says nothing to halt her from joining.

The Frog and Peach Tavern
Taking up the lower floor of the inn, this tavern represents the main gathering place for the community. While the ceiling is high enough to accommodate taller folk, just about everything else in the tavern section of the Frog and Peach is scaled to the comfort of those of shorter stature. The sole exceptions are two tables against the back wall, one long and one short, which are standard sized. The stairs to the upper level are behind the wall, opening out next to the bar counter that separates the tavern from the kitchen.

This early in the morning, most activity is back in the kitchens, where the scents of baking waft out from. One of the Streusel daughters is manning the counter, looking sleepy. She's still got a nightcap on between her big round Skeek ears. She seems to be mesmerized by the otter talking to her, as Lin snuck in ahead of the others.

"So long as there's some room to work." Lin asserts and waves the others over. "An here's the Lapi 'imself. Ah'll leave im to settle the bill." With a smile she turns and strolls back to Trilup.

Aviri enters the inn as if expecting an attack at any moment from the mostly-empty room.

"I'm so sorry to hear about your condition," the Skeek girl says to Aviri. "We'll make sure you aren't disturbed." She says it all in a very calm, slow voice.

"Oh, don't worry, I won't tell anyone," the girl assures. "Since you're a local, I can give you the cabin for 15 shekels a day, not including any meals.. but I imagine you'll want to take care of those yourself."

Aviri nods. "'T's fine," he mutters. He seems like he's about to say something aloud to her but instead pulls out a bag. "Pay now?"

"If you don't mind," the girl says, and smiles, showing that her incisors aren't even.

Aviri's hand dips into the bag and emerges quickly with exactly 15 shekels. "Here," he says.

The coins vanish, and are replaced a moment later by a key with '7' on it. "Cabin seven is all yours, Mr. Chalk," the girl says.

Aviri mumbles something and quickly retreats back outside to find his cabin, a look of annoyance in his eye.

It doesn't take long to find cabin seven behind the tavern. It's the one closest to the swamp.

Adventurer's Cabin
The 'delux' adventurer's cabin in Stonebarrow is actually furnised quite nicely. It's several rooms, meeting/kitchen, sleeping, and bathing. Recent renovations have even added /internal plumbing/ to the cabin, making the bathing room equipped with running water. Hot water is provided by a second ceramic fireplace quipped with a water reservoir. Needless to say, it takes a while t actually get a warm bath. The hot springs are still faster.

Aviri stands in the doorway a few moments, looking carefully at the visible areas. "Yes," he says, moving deeper to find a suitable bedroom.

"Verry nice place. D'ya think the box'll be able t' escape though?" Lin asks while looking around.

The bed seems big.. but only because it's sized for the sorts that come seeking adventure, who are generally races larger than Skeeks, Kadies and Lapis.

"Keep the doors and windows closed," Trilup suggest. "Or put it in the bathtub."

Aviri returns to the main area. "Just keep an eye on it, and don't freak if it starts moving," Aviri says. "You seem like you're going to stay here with me."

"Don't you want us guarding you in case the ghost tries to possess you or something?" Trilup asks. "Plus.. this rug is pretty comfy."

"For now." Lin siddles over to Aviri, "Might'n we 'ave the box while you get some rest? And a sheet o' paper?" She holds out her hand.

"I don't think I'm at risk of being possessed," Aviri says dryly. "I don't need guards, or companions or ... magical lizards or anything. Just ..." He takes a deep breath and pulls off his pack, fishing out the box and a few pieces of paper from a roll. "Just ... I've been with people for two straight days. Need time alone, please?" He sighs. "Sure, stay in here. Just don't bother me, okay?"

Lin salutes and swipes the materials. "We'll be in the main room. Oh! An a pen ifn'ya please?"

"No, thanks," Aviri says, pulling a pen and bottle of ink out of his pack. "Now, don't ... blow anything up. Thanks." He wobbles back to his room, and once inside the sound of a bolt sliding shut is clearly audible, followed by a soft whump of, presumably, a Lapi agaist a bed.

Lin gathers the supplies and lays them out on a table. "Alright mateys. Let's solve this box." She makes a quick note of the one symbol they'd found so far.

"He's weird," Silv says, becoming visible, sitting cross-legged on the ceiling. "You two are crazy, but he's weird."

"Thank you." Lin smiles. She makes a quick check of the doors and windows to make sure they're all closed and bolted. Then she pushes two chairs into the middle of the room. "We kin stand on these if it starts runnin' around again."

Trilup tips over the table onto its side. "And we can hide behind this!" she offers.

"That oughta do it." Lyn picks up the box and sits on one of the chairs. "Any suggestions on what ta try next?"

"I never tried to open it," Silv says. "Unless I did, and it erased my memory.. OoooooOOooooo!" She wiggles her fingers as she makes the wail.

The aquavi's shoulders slump for a second, she shrugs and gives the box an experimental lick.

It tastes horrible, like something that's been sitting in a corpse's lap for decades.

Lin gags and claws her tongue. "Bad idea. How 'bout we try the puzzle this time." She turns the box a few times then asks, "Hey Silv? Kin ya just look in the box? I don think they'd make it ghost-proof."

"Of course it's ghost proof," Silv notes. "It's got thistlebark in it, just like my coat.

"Worth a shot." Lin jots that down. Another few seconds of stareing at the box and she starts trying to move pieces next to each other that look like their grain matches up.

Given the randomness of the engravings, it isn't easy. Things line up all the time. More shifting around finally reveals another symbol though: something like a teardrop. It begins to glow red.

Lin quickly sets the box on the floor and dives behind the table. "Cover!" She calls out.

Trilup is already there, peering over the top of the table. The box isn't moving.. but it looks wet.

A dark puddle begins to form around the box. It looks like.. blood. And it's pouring out of the seams of the box. There's a lot more than could possibly be in it..

Lin frowns at the box. "You kin just stop that Mister Box." She says in a stern tone, "You're not being very creepy." She even steps out from behind the table and puts her hands on her hips.

The chiding causes the blood to start gushing out. There are jets of it squirting out of the top now too. The puddle is sloshing up against the table now.. and oozing under the other doors of the cabin, except the front door.

"That's quite enough." Lin graps an ornamental pot and scoops the box into it against the chair leg. She hurries to the bathroom to put the whole thing in the tub.

This results in a rapidly filling tub of blood. It's also coating the otter to her knees now.

The tub begins to moan now, as horrible bubbles rise up from the drain.. but the blood level doesn't go down. It's pouring over the sides now, with the box bobbing atop the swell.

Lin sighs, "This is getting silly." She empties the pot and gets ready to scoop the box out of the tub. "Tril! Kin ya open the front door?" She calls over her shoulder.

"No way!" Trilup says, as the front room is nearly waist-deep in blood now. "It wants that! I mean, for us to take it outside! Right? Doesn't it?" In the bedroom, the blood is causing Aviri's bed to start.. floating.

"I kin trap it in the pot. Just open the door before the cabin overflows!" Lin calls back, the pot poised to scoop.

The Lapi finally wakes up when he notices the motion. He takes one look at the situation and ... breaks. He, seemingly calmly, gets his pack and unbolts the door, wading through the blood toward the front door.

Trilup throws herself against the door. "No! We can't! We'll get in trouble!" she claims. There's a lot of sloshing as the blood is nearly up to the windows now.

"Would somebody get tha bloody door?!" Lin shouts and scoops the box out of the tub.

Aviri says, "You know what, I don't care. I spend fifteen sheckles to get a good night's sleep and you two can't even let me have that. Just got clean, fresh clothes, and now look! I'm done! You two have fun cleaning up this mess, and paying for the house, because I'm out."

"Noooo!" Trilup wails, refusing to budge. And then.. the furniture that was floating is back on the floor. The blood is gone.. and the box is right on the floor where everything started, instead of in Lin's hands.

"Huh." Lin muses and wanders back to the main room. She jots down "Teardrop symbol: fountains of blood. Vanishes after a minute or two." and adds a little sketch of the symbol.

Aviri looks around the room, at the two girls, the ghost, and says. "Have fun." He pulls his pack on and opens the door.

Lin watches him leave without saying anything then murmurs into her hat, "This all seems 'armless enough. Go after 'im and see ifn'ye kin talk some sense into Aviri."

"Aviri, no," Trilup says, still blocking the door. "We have to figure this out together, right? Nothing bad happened! Now we know it just does scary things that aren't real."

Aviri sighs. "I wish you the best of luck on it, I really do," he says. "But I just want to be alone and sleep for once. I can't take it anymore. See you in a week or so. Going to live in a cave somewhere...." He again tries to open the door.

Trilup looks like she's going to try, but steps aside. This doesn't make it any easier to open the door though.

Lin touches Trilup on the arm. "Let 'im go fer now. We've got this in paw fer now an' ee hasn't had any rest in a couple days. He just needs some time ta cool down." She says quietly.

"Go back to bed, Aviri," Silv says. Funny how she always says his name correctly, given that she can't get her own right and nobody every says it properly the first time. "No more attempts to unlock the box for another day. I'm pretty sure that's important. Do it too often and you set off something nasty."

Aviri, hand on the knob, says, "I can't sleep here. I can't trust any of you to just ... stop, for a few hours. Carry on, or whatever. I'll find some pumice." He opens the door and heads out.

Lin pats Trilup on the shoulder. "Just give 'im a day or two. He'll be back." She glares at the ghost for a moment then adds, "Silver. Keep an eye on 'im an let me know how he's doin'. An' I'm gettin' the feelin' yer not tellin' us everything about this box."

"What, you mean like.. who gave it to me, and paid to have it delivered?" Silv asks, then fades out, leaving just her smile (and striped tail) behind for a moment.