Trill will carefully touch the ring, and if it's cool, accept it back.

She takes out her journal and quill, scratching away for a moment before handing the book to Caelynn.

We'll figure out what it does eventually. I have been working on a song that should be able to unlock such secrets, and help to determine the function of magical items, I just need a bit more time to work on it. The bracelet I bought today should help, the pearl should help to focus the notes. Unfortunately I can't tell more about what any of these things do right now, but hopefully in the next few weeks? It's hard to tell how long it'll take me to perfect the song to where I can use it reliably. 

Oak, relaxes and smiles at Caelynn, “This old thing?!... It’s a damned fine axe that’s for sure.... My squad got it for me when I retired”.

He yawns. “I’m sorry. I don’t know if it’s day or night... but I think we should rest, unless you all have anything else to do tonight?”.

((OOC: Sorry our posts crossed. But omg I love the note writing!!))

"Take your time. I'd love to hear it when it's ready." Caelynn passes the notebook back to Trill. "And that's probably a good idea. If we're going to be meeting with the duergar captain and the giants tomorrow, we should probably get some good sleep beforehand." 

Oak grabs his things and heads to one of the boys’ rooms.

Caelynn replaces the items in the chest, then gathers her belongings and goes into one of the unoccupied rooms. Before going to sleep, she takes off her breastplate and spends an hour or so etching a design into one of its corners with her dagger. She attempts to incorporate both the swirling elements of her bracers and the runes and flowers that decorate her bow. Eventually, satisfied with her work, she lets herself drift off to sleep.

A short while after settling into his room, Oak remembers something important and heads back out into the empty common room.

When he’s there he kicks himself because he doesn’t know who’s in each of the the girls rooms.

He rolls his coloured cube and picks a door and knocks quietly three times and waits for whoever answers...

Caelynn has just her carving when she hears a knock at the door. Abandoning the armor and her dagger on the bed, she opens it to see Oak standing there. "Is everything okay?" She asks, brow furrowing.

As tempted as Aimon is to have a try at the gemstones in the china hutch he sticks his hands behind his back and turns away from it. As the others head to their rooms for sleep, he checks the main door of the suite to make sure it's locked. He then drags one of the soft couches over and places it in front of the door and curls up in to get some sleep. It's not a bed but it's more comfortable than anything he's slept on in weeks and if anyone tries coming in during their sleep, they'll have to make a lot of noise to move him and the couch.

He stretches a couple of times then gets some sleep.

Oak looks up as the door opens and he sees Caelynn stood there. He’s knocked a little bit off his stride and manages “uh.....”, before he realises he doesn’t have enough breath left to speak.

He looks down and back up, and swallows hard. And takes a deep breath. Then a little shake of the head. He blinks a couple of times, “Miss... Caelynn... I....”.

He shakes his head again and swallows, “m’Lady... um.. Lieutenant Ravenwood.........”. He salutes, and immediately regrets it. He remembers her threatening him when they first met, and then saluting her when she asks about his medals, he remembers carrying her away from the fish village, he remembers their dance......

He looks like he wants to say something. It looks like he has a hundred things to say. But instead he asks, “Is Trill with you? I need to speak with her...”.

"Captain Oxenfield," she replies on instinct with a respectful nod and salute. After a moment she relaxes and gives him a small smile. "I'll get her."

Walking back into the room, she tells Trill, "Oak wants to talk to you," then returns to her project. She doesn't understand why Oak is suddenly so flustered, but she isn't one to pry

If Trill is happy to, Oak leads her back to the common room. It’s only then that he realises one of the couches is pushed up against the door with Aimon fast asleep in it. He sits in the other couch, and gestures for Trill to sit with him.

He smiles an awkward smile at her, and then frowns, then smiles again. He says kindly, “I hope we find your friends... ...You’ve been quiet the last few days. It’s understandable..... ..I just wanted you to know we’re all going to help you, however we can.... ..you know that right?”.

If Trill let’s him continue he tries a different tact “I used to serve with a bard.... she could turn the tide of battle. She could change the very course of events...... But she needed her best ... inspiration....”. He shakes his head, that’s not right....

He takes a little package out of his satchel, wrapped in a fine blue cloth....

Oak continues... “I want to help any way I can...”. He starts to unwrap the package, unfolding the fabric one flap at a time.

”I want to give you the best chance you can get... to give you an edge maybe... to.... to lift you up so you can be the best you can be..... so you can make your best music.”.

He half unwraps the package and you can see leather: hard leather, soft leather, straps... And looks back up at Trill.

“I saw this in the shop today. And it reminded me of a few things you said a long time ago now... ... I don’t know if I’m way out of line... I hope you take this in the spirit it was intended.......I don’t know how much use they’ll be. But I wanted you to have something to give you... some inspiration maybe...”.

He hands her the package... ((I’ll message you the details))

“There’s a little card with all the details, but I think you may need to attune to them tonight... They adjust here, so they should fit....”.

Trill accompanies Oak, but pauses him and runs back for her journal.

I hope we find them too.

Yes... how much do you know about my people, the kenku?

Hah! I've tried to contribute to the tide of battle when we get in scraps, but slugging it out with giants and demons and fire children and water monsters is a far cry from helping the bosun out in a bar brawl.

@Trill

((Yeah, assume her written responses were shown to him as he got out the package? If you wanted to respond.))

In response to Trills written notes, Oak just says “You’re the only one of your kind I’ve ever met... So I only know of them, what I know of you.... I guess that makes us the same, in a way?.. ‘Ambassadors’ for our people!”. He puffs his chest out a little and beams a proud smile. 

Then he deflates a little, “I’m sorry, I’m not a well read man. My experience of the world and it’s people is almost entirely based on my real life experiences...”.

”And as I hand you these now though, I worry I might have made a misstep...”. He fidgets and shuffles, a little doubt on his face... He looks up hopeful though, like a well meaning cat that’s brought in a mouse.

 Yes! Ambassador Trill and Ambassador Embwahur! Sorry, I can say your name, but had to guess at the spelling. At least my name-sound has a descriptive name I like just fine.  Well... my vocal quirks aren't unique to me, other kenku can only vocalize what they've heard before too. We're REALLY good at memorizing sounds, and repeating sounds, but have no voices of our own, or ability to speak unique sounds. A trying limitation for a bard! I know you said you're not well read, but it's a little like if you could perfectly remember every book you read, and they are all stored in your head, but you could only write by mentally cutting out words and phrases and reordering them like some sort of ransom note.

In a comfortable context, like when I was on my ship, with a crew I'd been serving with for a while, communicating gets easier and easier. But in new situations, I often don't have the vocabulary to communicate what I want to say without piecing together multiple voices I've collected over the years. Sometimes that takes longer, so it's easier to just stay quiet, or say something close that might get the idea across.

The curse on our people isn't all bad though... I can sample and collect any sounds I hear, and incorporate them into my own music, and I've got a good eye for handwriting as well... For example, this is the handwriting of a noble woman who was having a tryst with one of the sailors on my ship, I snuck a peek at the letters she wrote him. And of course, all kenku are grounded, literally. That's part of what drew me to sailing. They thought it hilarious to have a kenku in the crow's nest, but I loved it! With the ship at full sail, it was almost like flying.  

Trill passes the journal over to Oak to read.

"A gift? For me?"

As he reads, she fully unwraps the package and reads the card. 

When Oak looks up, she's holding the card and sandals limply in her hands, her glistening eyes flashing black and grey as she blinks back emotion. Letting them fall to the couch she stumbles forward and embraces him in a tight hug, silently shaking, her head buried against his side.

Oak smiles as he reads. When he looks up to say something he sees Trill on the verge of tears...

Insight check to see if Oak thinks she’s happy or sad: 9 

Oak just looks, unsure. Trill goes in for a hug and Oak is left still a little unsure and thinks she’s maybe crying... He eventually lowers his raised arms around her and hugs her back. He pats her back a little. “I’m sorry if I made you sad... I just thought, it might be fun, or.....”, he says.

"I’m not... sad."

Trill pulls back and gives his hands a squeeze. She seems uncertain for a moment before having a sudden inspiration and lifting a cord from around her neck, a flat piece of cloudy crystal threaded on the end.

She hands it to him shyly, taking back the journal to write a response with shaky hands.

These might be the greatest gift anyone has given any kenku EVER! 

I don't have an amazing gift to give you, but please accept this. It's probably worth nothing, but it was the first bauble I collected, I found it in the sand as a youngling. It's been my lucky charm... which given everything we've been through, I'm not sure how lucky it is... but then again, if my crew hadn't been sold into slavery, I wouldn't have been there to help you fend off those little shadow gnomes. Anyway... it's the piece that means the most to me, if you get it wet, it goes clear, and there's a wave of blue green through it that always made me think of the ocean. I used to look though it and dream about finding freedom on the waves. I know you're not much of a sailor, but maybe if we need to go on another boat, it will help give you comfort.

Thank you thank you thank you thank you!

She passes it back over for him to read as she laces on the sandals, and as soon as he's done, tackles him in another hug!

Now that she's getting over the shock and wonder a bit, Trill is the happiest he's ever seen her.