It was almost lunchtime when Aviri, Linyala and Trilup met up outside the rickety gate and crumbling curtain wall of Dontgointhe Castle. The girls had managed to acquire backpacks and supplies (and convince their families they were on important Otter Scouts missions). They even had clothes (well, waterproof shorts and vests) to be more presentable to the world Outside. Aviri brought the remains of a muffin.

Aviri seems slightly unstable on his feet, but getting stronger by the moment as he finishes off his muffin, his pack slung over one shoulder..

Linyala eyes the muffin and licks her lips, haing forgotten to eat anything for a while what with runing around telling stories and gathering supplies.

Trilup looks warily at the castle. "Have either of you been inside?" she asks. "I never brought any weird swamp creatures in for the reward."

Aviri smirks. "Define 'vampire'," he says. "Mostly plants, honestly. Though ... line between vampire and plant can be hazy." He takes a deep breath. "Silv? Any demons we need to worry about?"

"Uncertain," the ghostly voice replies. "There's something odd in there, but not.. dangerous."

"I've got more rope, a tinderbox and lantern, lockpicks, a lil' tub of grease and charcoal for blacking our fur, a sling an' pouch of stones, canteen, box 'o soap, brush an' comb, ink, trimmed quil, an' paper in an oilskin bag, about four days o' salted fish, and my toothbrush." Lin lists.

"I got a blanket and lots of fish jerky and matches and a knife and my stuffed frog," Trilup counters.

"I dunno," Trilup says. "Can't you just sleep under Aviri? He's got Lapi fur after all. Is it safe to walk through the garden here? It's got a lot of warning signs."

Aviri walks through the gate toward the door. "Just don't let them bite you and you'll be fine," he says.

Linyala falls into line and casts a curoius eye at the plants and their warning signs.

At the door Aviri takes hold of the knocker and just ... stops a moment, looking at the hinges and the wooden portal. He smiles and bangs the kocker down three times.

There a moaning sound as the door opens slowly, and a large, wet looking eye peers out. "Oh, Marthter Avery," Igor lisps from the other side. "I did not know you were making a delivery today. Are your friendth here with a thtrange fith?"

"Hi, Igor," Aviri says. "No deliveries. But we ..." he turns to Linyala and Trilup. "Why are we here?" he asks sleepily.

"Map to the castle where we have to take the box." Lin prompts and hides behind Aviri but peeks around anyways.

Aviri nods and says to Igor, "We've got a cursed box" as if that explained everything. "Is Dr. Pike in?"

"Yeth, the doctor ith jutht finithing up in the laboratory," Igor notes, then opens the door to let them in. The patchwork person is wearing his typical shapeless monk's frock, which doesn't hide that his hands and eyes and ears do not match, being either Skeek or Skreek in origin. The fur is also patchy. "Pleathe come in and retht while I inform the doctor thee hath guethtththth." The last word comes with a bit of spray from the creature's odd mouth.

Aviri bows politely. "Thank you," he says, awkwardly trying to move into the door with Trilup so close.

Linyala shuffles around so as to stay behind Aviri but can't help stareing at Igor.

Igor give Lin a wink. It might be flirtatious, or just an artifact of his eyes not blinking at the same time. He leads them into the castle proper.

Main Hall
The main hall of the castle was kept warm and dry by a fire blazing away in the huge hearth at the far end. While moderately sized, as far as castle halls go, it still seemed a bit crowded. Racks and shelves covered the walls, stacked full of books and bottles filled with strange floating things. Stuffed animals (and not a few monsters) stood, crouched, and hung mid-pounce in various areas, apparently placed at random, while live animals chittered, squealed and hissed in stacks of sturdy cages. What furniture there was was mismatched, overstuffed, and draped in acres of pink taffeta.

"Pleathe do not try to climb the monthterth," Igor notes, as he moves some piles of books off of one of the chairs, so there are at least three to sit on. "I will inform the doctor and make thome tea, unleth you'd prefer a different beverage?"

"Tea sounds good, thanks," Aviri says. "Something to help me wake up." He takes off his pack and makes to sit on a chair, wary of the otter still clinging to him.

Linyala decides she likes Igor and sits in a chair with her pack on the floor next to it. "Tea sounds nice thanks!" She chirps.

Trilup does have to disengage her cloaking shield when it decides to sit down, but does clamber onto the next seat instead of trying to hide under it. Her eyes are wide at all of the stuffed creatures.

"Ah, my thpethial Wake Up tea it ith then," Igor says, and shuffles down the hallway.

Aviri's face contorts slightly at the sound of Igor's "special Wake Up Tea" but he just nods gently to himself and looks around at the cages, particularly the toward the tomato he'd visited earlier, but his eyes quickly drift away. "So, what's this about a map?" he asks.

"What are these?" Lin asks nobody in particular while looking around at the stuffed creatures, "There are so many, an' I've never seen anythin' like most of em. Do ya think we'll see things like this on our way to the castle?"

"Outside of town is Haunted Wilderness full of Robbers and Monsters," Trilup points out.

"These aren't real," Silv's voice claims. "They're made up from different animals. That sort of things usually sells well in the sticks."

"Oh, right, the map.. We need a map to Blackshire, from after the floods and stuff," Trilup notes.

Aviri closes his eyes and takes another deep breath. "So, Dr. Pike is going to give you ... us ... a map?"

"Dunno!" Trilup says. "But.. she goes out of town a lot. She must know how to get places, or have up-to-date maps, right?"

"Right," Aviri says, opening his eyes again. "This was Jack's idea? Does he know about the box? Or ... Silv?"

Lin gets up and tries to get a better look into one of the cages. "Why'd someone make animals out o' other animals? Aren't there enough monsters an' animals without makin' up new ones?" She asks. "S'pose we didn't go to Jack 'cause he's more like a collector kind o' adventurer."

There is a mouse in the cage Lin looks in. It's a tiny one, as such animals are common in Sylvania after all. This one is wearing a tiny vest that looks quite chewed on.

The mouse squeaks and runs to its exercise wheel. "They never talk balk, no matter how many clotheth the doctor maketh them wear," Igor notes, from right behind Lin. "Tea will be ready momentarily. Ith there anything elthe I can help with while you wait for the doctor?" he asks. Trilup squeaks, as she never saw the man re-enter the room either.

Aviri says, "I'm good. Thank you, though!" He smiles pleasantly, bobbing his head again to himself.

Linyala jumps and barks in surprise. "How're you so quiet?" She asks, her fur standing on end.

"Well, I oil my jointth every day," Igor claims, then... laughs? Wheezes? It sounds like 'hen-hen-hen' when he does it. "Would you like thomething to thnack on? A thauthage, perhapth?"

Lin's stomach gurgles at the mention of food. "Yes please." Lin chirps and giggles at the odd laugh. "Why does the doctor think clothes'll make tha critters talk?"

"The doctor ith crazy," Igor says with a straight (well, figuratively straight) face. "Mith Clover ith doing well, and almotht back to her normal weight. I will be thtarting her on thome phythical therapy thoon."

"And ... does Clover have anything to do with the tomatoes?" Aviri asks, arching an eyebrow.

Aviri nods, casts a weary glance toward Lin. "Okay, thanks Igor." He bites his lip.

"Are you one of Clover'th friendth?" Igor asks the Lapi. "Thee doethn't get many vithitorth."

"I'm Parsley's friend, remember?" Aviri says. "I'm just ... been given a recent interest into Clover's wellbeing."

"Mith Parthley vithitth every day," Igor notes. He gives the Lapi an odd look (but then, there's no way for one of Igor's looks to not look odd). "What cauthed the thudden interetht?"

"A dream I had," Aviri says, looking off into nothing. He shakes himself away, his ears flopping all about. He looks over at Linyala and Trilup. "I'm not sure I want to say more, at the moment," he says.

"A dream you thay?" Igor asks, and leans in to whisper to Aviri, "Wath there thinging?"

"No singing," Aviri says, "but there was enough to make me interested in vegetarian vampires." He yawns.

"You're interested in converting vampires to vegetarians too?" comes a squeaky voice. Dr. Pike is.. well, skinny would be generous. Her glasses make her head look oversized as well, and she's the tallest person Aviri has seen in awhile.. well over five feet! She's wearing a rubber apron and oversized gloves, both covered in suspicious splotches, over some baggy trousers and blouse.

Aviri jumps at the new voice--obviously not all of his old habits have died off, yet. "More interested," he says cautiously, "in why you'd want to convert vampires to vegetarians, Dr. Pike."

"Well, it would solve so many image problems vampires suffer from," the Eeee woman explains, gesturing a bit too broadly with her hands, as one of the rubber gloves goes flying free to land on one of the stuffed monsters. "The Gallisians can't claim they're blood-sucking monsters if.. uh.. they're sucking blood from fruit or vegetables.."

Aviri nods and, biting his lip, sits back against the couch. "Makes sense," he says. He glances over at Linyala and her notes and rubs his head, suddenly stopping and looking back at Pike. He stands awkwardly. "Oh, er ... um," he says. "Thanks for letting us in and ... all," he says.

"I enjoy having guests!" the doctor claims. "Especially when they bring me interesting creatures." This last bit seems aimed at the otters. "But Igor says you've come to ask about.. math?"

"Yes, maps!" Lin chirps, "We need ta get across Sylvania to Blackshire but our guide is confused and didn' come with a map. D'ya think ye kin help?.. Please?"

"Ah, well, I did have some recent travelers update my map regarding ground routes.. let's see.." Pike says, and looks around at all the chaos. "Maybe it's in my office?"

Igor has managed to vanish when nobody was looking in his direction.. hopefully to finish preparing the tea.

"It must be," Pike concludes and turns to head back into the hallway. "Oh.. why do you want to go to Blackshire? Is it to take the train somewhere?"

"Delivery," Aviri says quickly. "Like ... what I used to do." He gets an odd look on his face and sits back down.

"Oh, herbs and such?" Pike calls from down the hall. There's a shriek, and a crash, and a high-pitched, "Don't let it escape!" followed by a very disturbing sort of wiggly sound.

Trilup is looking through the bookshelves, occasionally pulling out books with garish cover art, looking at the art, and then putting the book back. "Weird.." she mutters.

Lin makes a last note about the room they're in then sets her papers aside and sets about wandering again.

There are more alarming noises from the hall, then the sound of a box or similar being snapped shut, followed by a door slamming. Igor appears with the tea. "I brought cookieth too. I make them for Parthley but I'm thure thee won't mith a few."

Aviri again stands, looking down the hall. "N-need help?" he calls. He suddenly sees Igor. "Oh, excellent! Thanks, Igor!"

"Eee! Thank'ee Igor!" Lin bounces back to her seat and shuffles her papers back into her pack.

"Don't mind the noithe," Igor assures. "It'th jutht the eggplant acting up. It ith ornery. I think it hath to do with being purple."

Trilup practically teleports across the room at the mention of cookies. "Are they fish cookies?" she asks.

"Only a little bit of fith in them, for protein," Igor promises. "Mothtly thtrawberry."

Aviri takes a cookie and sips the tea, remaining standing. An ear flicks at the mention of the eggplant.

Igor doesn't seem like he's about to elaborate. "I will be bringing Mith Parthley her lunch thoon," he notes. "Did you want to vithit her?"

Aviri freezes, mid-sip. "Yes," he says, lowering the cup. "I'd like to visit her, if it's not too much trouble." He takes another sip. "Good tea, too!"

Trilup slurps at the tea, and sticks her tongue-tip out. "It'th hot!" she notes.

Linyala slurps her tea to make sure it's not scalding before dipping a cookie in it and munching hapilly.

Aviri stands awkwardly near the couch, now, sipping the tea more energetically. "Er ... should I ... sit, or ...?" He sips his tea as if that's an appropriate end to his question.

Dr. Pike finally reemerges from the hallway, looking a bit more disheveled than when she left. She does have a rolled up piece of paper though. "I found it!" she claims. "It was right under the.. uh.. anyway, I found it."

Aviri nods and sits, taking a bite of the cookie and realizing it's not too fishy for his taste. He doesn't seem to react to Pike's discovery.

"I've got a map," the bat confirms. "It's the one with the most recent annotations though."

"S'like the things ya write on a map fer it ta make sense." Lin gestures with her cookie, "Monsters here, these squiggles are a forest, this window is the bathroom. Thing's like that."

Trilup nods in understanding, while Dr. Pike tries to find a big enough space to unroll the map. "Is the floor alright with you?" she finally asks her guests.

Aviri continues to nibble his cookie and drink his tea, his eyes jumping around the room at a rate slightly lower than normal, seemingly oblivious to Pike and her map.

More piles of stuff are pushed around to make room on one of the many mismatched rugs, and the large map is rolled out. It's nearly as big as an Akwavi bed! And apparently old, since it originally shows the town as being somewhere in the swamp, with lots of drawings and arrows and such added over the years. "The old swamp road.. well, it wasn't called the swamp road then.. is usually pretty flooded.. plus it goes through the swamp," Pike notes, tapping one oft-marked up line. "So.. uh.. you probably want to go west to Trollhaven, here." She taps the next nearest town over, just ten miles away or so. "There are barges that go up and down the river, and that should get you down to Bog Bend.." She points to another heavily-marked location. "And from there you can walk.. along the Road of Fluffy Doom.. to Blackshire."

The lapi on the couch tilts his head slightly. "The Road of Fluffy Doom?" he asks.

"The woods around Blackshire used to be full of monsters," Pike notes. "It's supposed to be much better now."

Out come the papers and quill as Lin gets to copying the map, albeit in a much more reasonable scale and any relevant notes on a seperate page with numbered anotations. "How much better ifn'ya know?" Lin asks while dipping the quill.

"Well.. before the forest animals were all.. uh.. possessed and would turn into horrific beasts," Pike notes. "Especially the rabbits. They would become vorpal bunnies.. and.. uh.. eat people. But the force that was changing them all was supposedly turned off, or something."

On a seperate shet of paper, Lyn writes, "Investigate vorpal bunnies and other creatures (monsters?) that show up on the 'Road of Fluffy Doom'."

Aviri takes a long draw on the tea. "Would bunnies attack vampires....?" he muses mostly to himself.

"Well, the vampire that told me about it claimed his group had a magic amulet that kept creatures at bay," Pike notes, and scratches her cheek. "So.. I don't know. Are you traveling with a vampire?"

"Does it repel monsters?" Dr. Pike says, adjusting her glasses and leaning in uncomfortably close to examine it.

Aviri seems almost reluctant to let go of the amulet but manages to hand it to Pike. "Natasha said it'd keep me from being possessed."

The hat does not reply. Really, there hasn't been a peep out of Silv in some time. Maybe Igor frightens her?

"She gave it to me to protect me from Old Swampy and ... anything else that's in that swamn, I guess," Aviri adds helpfully.

"A ghost lives in it." Lin repplies as though it's the most natural thing in the world.

Dr. Pike says idly, "If you wash it in vinegar the smell should come out," in response to Lin's comment. She's looking the amulet over, and then hands it back to Aviri. "Must be magic," she concludes.

Aviri takes the amulet back as if it contained his life. "As in, the amulet must be magic, or it only protects against magical creatures? Are vorpal rabbits magic?"

Lin takes the hat off and gives it a good sniff. She wrinkles her nose. "T'be fair it was on a body fer some seveny years."

"I.. well, the amulet must be magic, because I can't see any other mechanism at work," Dr. Pike notes. "The monsters of Sylvania seem to be somewhat related to Spirit Magic though, especially the undead sorts. I never got to examine any of the creatures haunting Blackshire though."

"Haunting," Aviri says, tasting the word. "Works for me." He puts the amulet back into his pocket.

"That's quite a long trip to be undertaking," Pike notes. "Are you sure you're all up to it?"

Aviri gives a single laugh. "If I had to count how many things I didn't feel like I was 'up to do' that I subsequently did ... I'd be up to three." An ear raises and he tilts his head as if confused at how that saying was supposed to go.

Lin waits for the ink to dry on the map, rolls it up, and grins. "Thank'ee fer the tea an' cookies Igor and fer the map mizz Pike. We'z somethin' of a team already an I t'ink we're up fer it. What'chya say Tril?" She looks over her shoulder at the other otter.

"Though we won't be leaving for a bit," Aviri decides. "Still got some things to do around here." He looks at Igor, then at the hallway, then at nothing.

"I think we should bring some Scumble too," Trilup says. "Sailors like to get drunk, I heard, and it'd be cheaper than having to pay for passage on a riverboat right?"

"S'pose I kin clean my hat if'n we're staying here a lil' longer?" Lin says hopefuly, "No offence Silv but it does smell a bit dead."

"Speaking of Silv," Aviri says, "I bet Jack'd like to come. We could probably use his ... expertise."

"The ghost in my hat." Lin chirps as she puts the now finished map in her pack and bounces over to Igor. "Thank'ee. An mizz Pike said somethin' about vinegar gettin' rid 'o the smell?"

"We should find a big purple feather for the hat," Aviri says, feeling much more awake due to the tea.

"Yeth, but that would leave it thmelling of vinegar inthtead," Igor points out. "Thee ith jutht uthed to doing that to thterilize her toolth.."

Aviri chews on the last of his cookie, resolutely not saying anything about Silv.

"Perhaps there is a mold growing in the hat that causes you to hallucinate a ghost?" Pike suggests.

Aviri sighs. "If only," he says. "No, no mold. We picked up Silv when coming back from the swamp where Trilup and I were trying to find Swampy's lair for Jack and Lin was spying on us. Kinda started this whole ... map ... thing."

"Oh.. so she's a shy ghost?" Dr. Pike asks. "I.. don't think I've got any ghost-nip left.."

"Could probably intimidate her into talking," Aviri muses quietly. He looks to Igor. "Though, I'd rather have a word with Clover first."

"I'll go prepare her lunch then," Igor says, and vanishing down the hallway towards the kitchen.

The guest room that Clover is staying in has two good sized beds, and even a narrow window to let in sunlight. It doesn't seem like a room for someone who's been injured, with no signs of bandages or tables covered in strange bottles and surgical instruments. The Lapi doe is sitting up in bed, wearing a nightshirt that doesn't quite hide how scrawny the girl seems compared to her twin. There's a short frizz of blond hair over her scalp, instead of the long locks that Parsley has, as if the hair had just recently started growing.

Igor carries a tray with a small loaf of bread, some fresh vegetables and a cup of broth, with Aviri behind him as they enter the room.

Clover looks up and smiles a bit, until she notices Aviri. "Who are you?" she asks.

Aviri enters shyly, unsure, his arms tight in front of him as he sees Clover. "I'm Aviri Chalk," he says, ensuring that he doesn't stutter. "I'm ... Parsley's friend."

Igor is busy setting the tray on the bed. "Pleathe try to eat all of it thith time, Mith Clover," he says. "I have to go boil a hat now.. but I will be back."

"No," Aviri says. "I sent me." He looks at Igor anxiously, stepping off to the side partly to get out of his way and partly to hid in a corner.

Igor leaves, and closes the door behind him, shutting the two Lapi in together. "I don't bite," Clover says. "Parsley must have told you something for you to be here. I don't want.. that is.. I'd rather people not know what my condition is."

With Igor gone Aviri gets a bit more comfortable. "I ..." he bits his lip and takes a deep breath. "On recent adventures I've acquired a ... ghost. Then Buffy, in a dream, told me I could go to her and she'd get rid of the ghost. I don't know your 'condition' other than it has something to do with Buffy, so I just wanted to ... make sure you're alright, and maybe get some ... advice." He looks to the side. "And I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell Parsley."

One of Clover's eyebrows goes up, and pulls a piece of bred from the loaf and dips it into the broth before eating it. "Buffy, huh?" she asks. "I don't know if I'm the best person to be giving anyone advice, but.. what did you want advice on?"

Aviri stops his fidgiting. "I ... don't know," he says finally. "She says she won't hurt me, but ... can I trust her? I mean ..." he makes a slight and vague gesture toward Clover.

"I'm not like this because of Buffy," Clover says. "I'm like this because I tried to do something really terrible out of jealousy. Buffy is.. one of us. She's a Chalk. She's lonely, and has been stuck down there for decades. She wouldn't really hurt any of us.. but she's bound to the chalk, and will protect it violently if she has to."

Aviri nods. "O ... okay. Thanks, Clover. Sorry for bothering you. I'll let you get back to your meal." He puts a hand on the door. "And for the record, Parsley didn't ... I don't know what happened."

Aviri turns back around. "We picked up a box, from a ship in the swamp. Silv ... gave her life to protect it and now she's ... I wouldn't call it 'haunting', but haunting us. She seems nice, but I'm ... not sure if ..." he bites his lip again and sighs. "Just say it straight out. I don't want to be haunted, but I don't feel right going to Buffy if she'll hurt Silv. Seems Silv's suffered enough."

"Just that I know about Buffy, and that I met her in a dream," Aviri says. "She doesn't know about Silv. And ... I guess that's the advice I wanted. Should I go to Buffy?"

Clover nibbles on a stalk of celery in thought, before answering, "No.. but.. ask Parsley for a piece of 'deep' chalk. Buffy is.. in the chalk, sort of. You can use it to call her if you need to, because she normally can't leave the chalk itself. I think the way it goes is you use the chalk to draw a door on something, and knock on it."

Aviri smiles. "Thanks, Clover. Sorry again for bothering you with my problems." He returns to the door. "I hope you feel better soon."

Aviri opens the door and slips out like a ghost, closing it quietly behind him. He stands on the other side a moment, still holding the knob in a hand, before nodding and heading back the way he came, toward the main chamber.

The map has been rolled up and put away, leaving Trilup and Lin on their own while Igor 'boils' Silv's old hat.

Aviri looks distracted with something as he enters. "Hmm? Oh, she's fine," he says. He yawns. "Where'd Igor go?"

"He said he'd boil my hat an get tha smell out." Lin chirps, "Said it'd fit better too."

"I think he should have just made Lin's head bigger," Trilup claims. "I bet he could, too!"

Aviri snifs the air, then tilts his head. "Nah, I'll wait," he says to himself and sits back on the couch. He pulls his bag onto his lap and just holds it, resting his head on the cushions, as if he's going to go to sleep sitting up.

"I like my head just th'way it is." Lyn says petulantly, "An anyways, it'd throw off my perpoortions."

"How come you don't trust me?" Silv asks, so everyone can hear.. even if she seems to be aiming it at Aviri.

Aviri's eyes open. "It's not that I don't trust you," he says, "it's that I don't like ..." He sits up. "I like being able to be alone," he says. "I like being able to sleep without weird dream, without being called to and fro to deal with the antics of otters. I like being able to go into my home without worrying about the safety of another being. And I don't like having to wonder if taxadermying ex-boyfriends was a thing you did casually!" He's breathing heavily, looking into nothing, one eye slightly more open than the other.

"You need to loosen up, like Lin and Trilup!" Silv claims. "You're young, but sound.. like an old fuddy-duddy. You need this experience, trust me. You have to leave your comfort zone to grow up."

"T'be fair Silv," Lyn sneaks into their conversation, "he had a pre'y good point with the taxidermyin' yer exes."

"It was just the one and it's what he woulda wanted," Silv claims. "At least that way he was still a part of my life, yeah?"

Aviri looks around as if suddenly realizing he looks crazy. He leans back against the couch. "Wasn't so long ago talking to people was leaving my comfort zone," he says into the air. "I don't need an adventure to the other end of Sylvania with killer bunnies. Who needs that kind of thing?! What I need is ...." He looks around. "I need sleep," he decides. "The rest can wait." He stands, sending his bag to the floor, rattling the ink and paper. He picks it up, looks around. "Where's Igor? He's ... might have a spare bed."

"I'll ... see if there's another one," Aviri says. "And I said I didn't want to you hurt!" He points out sharply.

"But better safe than sorry, right?" the ghost asks. "I don't blame you, I suppose. Maybe having a demon on call could be helpful.."

"It /would/," Aviri states, not correcting the demon/guardian thing. "Trilup, did you see where Igor went?"

"He's in the kitchen," Trilup notes. "Or the laundry.. if that's different from the kitchen? Wherever you'd go to.. boil things?"

The hallway isn't that long, but it's dark. There are heavy doors at intervals, most with warning and keep-out signs. At the end is the kitchen, which is pretty large and even has a good bit of actual metal showing. Igor is there, stirring a large pot (he stands on a stool to do it) that is steaming.

"I was just wondering if there was a ... spare room, I could use," Aviri says. "I've not gotten much sleep lately."

"That would be best," Aviri says. "I'd ... rather not bother Clover any more than I already have."

Aviri steadies himself in the doorway. "I could sleep standing up, at the moment," he says. "A hammock would be wonderful."