Dev reflects upon the old lady’s life of solitude and its similarity to his elderly parents. But at least, they have each other. Doesn’t she get lonely? Are foxes even nice pets? Dev remembers again how many dogs he had to run from, small and large in the alleys of Drynna. Never a fox though, they were always hard to find and just happy if left alone. Maybe the old lady is the same way?

With these thoughts circling through his mind and putting off a certain sense of frustration which eats at him too, given that the companions are no closer now to rescuing the captured Gray Huntsman than they were this morning, the teen follows the others back down to the secret door. He tries to quietly open it and peek out to the street, alerting the others when the coast is clear. 
(Ha! critted another Stealth check! stealth: 24)

The alley is unoccupied and Dev unnoticed.

Once Dev indicates it's clear, Lokilia heads out through the secret door. "Kind of glad to be out of there," she says. 

Normont follows Lokilia.

"Yes, it was an odd interlude for certain, assuming it is unrelated but not being one hundred percent certain. But today has been quite productive, with a number of leads to now follow", he replies, in a more positive mood than Dev after their day's work so far.

He is happy to the lead group directly away from Glinnick's store, trying to avoid running into anyone associated with The Nameless Ones. He will look to go somewhere unexpected to plan their next move. Certainly not his Grandfather's house, nor anywhere they have stayed previously.

(OOC: @DM: Remind me when the meeting with Cassandra de Rolo is, please? And when they need to go back to Archivist Pren? And the current time would be good too. Is the best source of information for figuring out who owns the house they were just in at the castle or somewhere else? Lots of questions :-) )

( Should be the next day. Pren should be later this afternoon. It's early afternoon currently.  This is from recollection as I don't seem to have uploaded my recent notes from my work computer because I'm an idiot.....but we'll just go with it.)

"I think we should go and see the Archivist. We might be a little early, but even if we are made to wait, it will be in a safe place. We can also avail ourselves of the library there", Normont suggests.

"Sounds good, Normont. On to the Archivist," Lokilia agrees. "What sort of library do they have? Just books about all types of subjects?" 

"Why yes, there are books. There are likely maps and potentially even a census if we are lucky", Normont replies as he leads the group towards the castle.

Dev likes the idea of a library. Books were never that appealing to him until he learned how many held interesting stories, and now he loves them. He cheers up, imagining the grandeur of such a place in this big city, until a sudden thought stops him.

"But...," Dev whispers, following the other a few paces up the alley but then halting in place, "...shouldn’t we try to get into Glinnick’s place? What if the poor Grey Hunter is right there, like on the other side of this wall, held captive. We haven’t done anything to help them yet…”

(@Damian_May, in an earlier post, you wrote that it was a few hours until sunset. Not sure how long we were in the napping fox lady's basement...)

"What would you have us do, Dev?", Normont asks tactfully. "We have seen how well guarded the place is, and not just by mortals, but by one of those things from the ancient tower too. And we know how well supplied they are with equipment. We have a name to investigate now, and a sigil. Unless you have a really good plan, I cannot see a way in without huge risk".

He is obviously frustrated at not being able to help the kidnapped hunter as well, and looking at Dev hopeful he might have a plan in mind.

Lokilia nods. "Yea, I think we have to wait." She looks at Dev, "Unless you have a plan?" she looks hopefully, wishing there might be something they could do. 

( Thanks for the time reminder, with my better half in and out of hospital things have been a tad chaotic.  So its approaching evening which is when you are due at the Palace.)

(Oh shoot, sorry to hear that. Hang in there pal, one foot in front of the other & all will be well.)

Quote from Culuril >>

Lokilia nods. "Yea, I think we have to wait." She looks at Dev, "Unless you have a plan?" she looks hopefully, wishing there might be something they could do. 

 Dev, helplessly, shakes his head. “No… I don’t have a plan.” He falls into step behind the others, casting a last frown over his shoulder toward the rooftop of Glinnick’s. 

The four companions made their way through Whitestone as unobtrusively as possible towards the palace arriving there just after dusk, Normont and Quinn were recognised and they were allowed access inside.

The archives and library lay ahead as did the drawing room and other parts of the palace.

Normont leads the group through the corridors of the Castle, doing the best he can to be a good tour guide. Not that he has spent a lot of time here, but he can explain a little about the various portraits he recognises.

He will head straight to the library to see Pren, eager to find out what information she has gathered. If they are met by the librarian he will greet them and ask to be taken to the Archivist's office, and if not he knows the way from last time.

Dev thought the castle’s exterior impressive. But when they enter, his eyes bug out in wonderment as he pulls back his hood absentmindedly for a less obstructed  view. The ballrooms of Drynna were one thing. But he has never walked through such enormous interior spaces in his life.

‘Except for the tower,’ he remembers with a shiver. He adjusts his cloak tighter around himself, takes a deep breath, and pushes back that fearful memory to a safe distance. In moments though, the paintings captivate his attention and he asks of Normont a long series of questions, his childlike curiosity gaining the upper hand.