(Whaaaaaat?)

Perception: 17

Both of you start from the red X. Starting at the X:

The door on the right: No sounds can be heard from this area at the moment.
The door down the hall 30' north: a watery bubbling sound can be heard from this area.
Going left and continuing: Later, should you wish to go that way.

Making a secret DM roll. Muah hah hah. 4

The hallway is quiet. For now.

Mercy crept quietly to the door directly ahead. Pausing, she checked the lock.

The door is unlocked. You can hear a watery bubbling sound coming from it. Careful, scoob.

At some point, Carrhae finishes her prayers. As patient as Sune was, there's only so much time one can ask a deity to keep their friends safe before it grows repetitive and the rocky canyon was not an easy surface to kneel on for an extended period of time. She saunters back to where the rest of the group was and begins striking up a conflict with Barry when she sees that Strife and Trini aren't there. "Now where did our lovely bards wander off to? I hope they aren't getting themselves in trouble, I'm already worried sick about Mercy and Daewen. But this gives me a chance to talk to you. I don't think that we've actually spoken too much despite the fact that we've been working together for the last few weeks. Great work back at the keep with the water cultists by the way. I don't think that we would have made it without your quick thinking. So, tell me about yourself! How long have you been a Harper? What's the Traveler like? Did the Harpers teach you how to impersonate people like that? Do you have a lover back home that's making it really hard to stay chaste when you're the only man traveling with five beautiful young women?"

Carrhae smiles after that last question like she's not really being serious when she's asking it.

Mercy frowned at the sound and shook her head. She stared at the door in confusion and started to examine it more closely.

Perception: 20

Investigation: 4

Arcana: 1

Yup. It’s a door.

Zephyr was fiddling around with his amulet when Carrhae approached him, having been trying to get his mind off the two that were sneaking around the keep. His mouth opened to answer the first question she asked, but then more kept streaming out of her mouth. He sat there quietly and waited for her to finish with a small smile tugging the corner of his lips.

"First, I'm not entirely sure where they've gone, but I think Strife said something about pie recipes... Ah, I've been a Harper for about a month now, and they did not teach me how to impersonate people, actually, the Traveler did. He... He's helped me through a lot, really." He gives a nervous chuckle. "It's a silly little story about how I've learned to worship him, but, anyways, no, I do not have a lover back home." That was all the questions she had, no? "Well, I suppose to pass the time I'll ask you questions as well, if that's okay with you."

"Why become a paladin? How did you go about worshiping Sune? Have you ever met her before? You're very pretty, but I'm assuming you don't have a lover either, yeah? Why is that? What is it that keeps you going? Do you like the Gauntlet? Do you have friends back home? Why do you use your chest--" Zephyr cuts himself off, his cheeks getting slightly red, catching himself before he asked yet another question. "S-sorry, I shouldn't pry. Just, uh, answer the ones you want."

For a few seconds Carrhae's gaze lowers when Zephyr asks why she doesn't have a lover back home, but she gets past it and is able to respond to his line of inquiry. "Well I was left on the doorstep of a temple of Sune when I was an infant, so that's what got me into worshiping her. I became a paladin because I wish to protect the creations of Sune and I actually did meet her once. Every Sunite who wishes to become a Paladin must stand vigil in the temple and if Sune appears to them in a vision, they are allowed to swear their oaths. And as for why I use my chest, it's simple; men get to talking when they're with a pretty lady,  as you are right now." She says with a smile.

"If it's not too much of a bother, would you mind telling me about how you came to worship the Traveler? I've worshiped Sune since I was an infant and I don't really get too many chances to spend time with people of other religions, so I'd like to get to know all I can. Also, I think that a silly little story is a fine way to pass the time, don't you think?"

"Okay, Trini. If you change your mind, I'm here to help your re-bell-ion, haha! I'm just way too clever for words, am I right? Fine, okay, whatever - no need to be bell-icose! Oh ho! Strife ya life widda drum 'n fife!

"Well, I think Mercy will need time to gather enough evidence. She needs to satisfy her heart that she can commit and invest in us and not wind up disappointed or worse, and she's going to require a fair amount of proof to cross that threshold. She trusts us, but she doesn't trust us, if you take my meaning. I think the way she grew up, she couldn't afford to assume people would do the right and decent thing. So it's not cynicism, but rational self defense. I think you're like me and you just want a big group hug so we can be close friends, so we can open up, confide, and be vulnerable around each other. But we can't hurry her process along. It takes as long as it takes, and shortcuts will just backfire.

"I think she likes me. Mostly. She said some nice things about me one time! Sort of in an insulting way, but it's the thought that counts. Just be your honest and sincere self, and if you give her some time, I bet Mercy will be very attached to you. In fact, don't change anything to win her approval - she's not going to respect someone that isn't true to themselves. Trying to pull her in will just push her away.

"But speaking of Mercy, having her and Daewen inside that monastery without us alongside is stressing me out. I'm going to relax and enjoy my pipe in the carriage. You're welcome to join me if you wish."

Zephyr noticed her eyes go downcast during his little interrogation, and when he was done, noted how she avoided answering that particular question when she responded. He didn’t pry any further, as promised, reminding himself that everyone has their stories and they will tell them once they are ready to.

... Are you ready?

His smile with slowly turn to a frown. “It’s not easy for me to talk about, but, um...” His eyebrows furrow. He didn’t want to flat out lie to her, so instead he found himself telling her the truth just... Leaving some parts of it out. “I was... Alone for quite a time, surrounded by three libraries worth of books. You wouldn’t think I’ve read pretty much all of them, considering how I speak,” He laughs lowly, flipping the amulet between his fingers. “But I had stumbled upon this amulet.” He show her  the amulet he had been flumbling with. It was of an eight pointed configuration with four crossed and rune enscribed bones. “And I... wanted to know more. Surprisingly, there isn’t too much about him, even in the libraries we had, but it was enough for me to start praying to him.” He smiles a solemn smile. “When I did, I didn’t feel so alone.”

A silence settles between the two of them, Zephyr seemingly lost in thought before coming back to reality. “Oh, sorry. Anyways—“ He clears his throat. “That... Wasn’t a very silly story, was it? I should find better words to describe things, haha.” 

"You're right. It's not silly at all, it's actually rather heartwarming. I'm glad that the Traveler was able to give you some company during a time when you felt alone in your life." Carrhae smiles weakly and asks no more questions. This conversation didn't go at all like she had hoped it would and she now wished that Strife and Trini would return soon, as she was beginning to feel fairly awkward.  

Zephyr, you fool.

“Um,” He spoke up again, trying to avoid this awkward silence to befall them. His nerves were already jumping about with the two sneaking around the keep, he didn’t need to be anxious about this. “Do you... want to find Trini and Strife? They probably didn’t go far...”

"Sure, that sounds like a good plan to me. I think that we should be together in case anything happens and we need to help Mercy and Daewen." Carrhae tried to play it cool, but this had become awkward and both parties knew it.

Yet Strife and Trini were not around, and must have wandered off somewhere together, unless...

When Carrhae and Zephyr opened the carriage door, a dense fog of Bloom Nocturne wafted out toward them. After a bit of hand waving to dismiss the faintly floral scented cloud, they could perceive Strife sprawled out horizontally on one of the benches, one of her legs dangling over the side, and Trini seated opposite. Awkwardly struggling up into a seated position while still clutching her pipe with one hand, Strife pointed to the newcomers with her tail and erupted into a giggling fit.

"I'm sorry, my friends, but if you could see your faces! What have you been up to? Carrhae, you're not moving in on my sweet Shoalgrimbarry, are you? It's okay, we agreed to see other people," and thereupon she burst into laughter. Strife looked over at Trini to try to confirm her strong suspicion that she was hysterical, but unable to speak through her guffaws, she gestured vigorously with her free hand to invite Carrhae and Barry inside, and tapped the bench cushion with her tail to indicate where they might sit. She held out her pipe as an offering.

Carrhae joins in at laughing with Strife. "No need to worry about me stealing your many-faced husband. We were just talking about Sune and the Traveler." She takes the pipe and smells the air as she takes a seat in the carriage. "I've never actually smoked from a pipe before, but usually what comes out smells bad, like something is burning. This smells oddly pleasant. What is this?" Carrhae takes a puff from the pipe without waiting for a response and immediately feels giggly and momentarily lightheaded. It certainly got rid of the awkwardness she felt after conversing with Barry. "Oh my! This feels...wonderful. I don't feel like I should have any more at the moment however, as I'd like to keep some of my wits about me in case we're needed. But tell me Strife, we're you planning on sharing this with us or were you going to hoard your treasures like some kind of dragon?"

Strife took the pipe back from Carrhae and answered her. "This blend is known as Bloom Nocturne. Sometimes I get anxious and worried, and it helps some. Now then," she prefaced, as she climbed into Carrhae's lap, facing her.

"What's this accusation of hoarding? It so happens that this marvelous mixture is actually quite expensive, and therefore not to be dispensed to those I do not highly esteem. Yet I see a beautiful smile upon your lips, even though no coin was exchanged. What can we surmise? Two things.

"First, I'm neither withholding nor concealing it from you, for I do love each of you, and you are worthy of my gift of serenity, costly as it is.

"And second," Strife again prefaced, softening her voice as she moved very close to Carrhae, staring into the paladin's eyes with her own dual-colored pair, one amber, one onyx. "As delightful a diversion as it is, it's really not the most precious treasure I have to offer. Nowhere near, in fact." After just barely grazing the tip of Carrhae's nose with her own, Strife then crawled into Barry's lap.

Wrapping one arm around his neck and smiling up at him mischievously, she said, "As my dear non-spouse and someone able to speak on the matter with a certain genuine authority, would you care to weigh in, darling?" Strife placed the tip of the pipe before Barry's lips.

"I apologize if it seemed like I was accusing you of withholding something from us. I spoke only in jest and now that I know that you paid a fair sum for this wonderful treasure that you've chosen to share with us, it appears that I am now in your debt." As Strife leaned close and spoke to Carrhae, she noticed for the first time that her tiefling companion had different colored eyes. "I can't believe that I never noticed how beautiful your eyes were." Carrhae said, half-mesmerized. "Perhaps I need to pay more attention to you and your treasures." She said as a smile of her own began to form.

Thankfully oblivious to the distraction of those she was counting on to back her and Daewen up should things turn violent, Mercy finally shrugged and, slowly, opened the door to peek inside.

Stealth: 13

Perception: 9