Astrid had told Cirice so much about Dragon's Cradle that she'd been dying to see it for herself. It just so happened that another hopeful for the Mage's Guild happens to be Astrid's very own father, Cantio! So when she'd heard that she could try to join the guild, see Dragon's Cradle AND meet Astrid's dad she'd jumped at the chance.

The storms around had reminded her so much of Astrid herself, every strike of lightning making her remember her first adventure with her stormy friends. Climbing up the highest mountain to get to Skyspeak Village had been a bit of a trek but along the way she had managed to hear tell of some ruins that might be ripe for the delving! Not far from Skyspeak itself some miners had dug down into a cave full of an ancient dwarven settlement long lost. She couldn't wait to share her findings with Cantio, hoping that he's as nice and supportive as Astrid says. She stands outside the house she hopes is Astrid's, obviously still a work in progress, and knocks on the door.

---

Quest

It’s quiet and calm in the house for the most part.

Having a home again is such a surreal thing; he’s still not used to it… it’s been a long time since he just… had some place to go back to when he was done with his travels. Sure, the hand-off was weird; and technically, it’s not his house— Veliky made it very clear that it was for Astrid— but he’s here by association.

Either way, he still considers it his home despite the quarterling’s original remarks about the home; although, he still feels awfully guilty for accepting such a thing… or allowing Astrid to. Truly, this whole house is a luxury that they never would have been able to afford otherwise—

Cantio jumps, nearly taking his whole hand off, when a knock comes from the door without warning. His train of thought dissolves into mild panic when the knife’s blade slams into the cutting board; he pulls back his hand sharply. “Aaahhh…” He takes a look at the vegetables he was cutting, then looks worriedly towards the entryway with a flick of his tail.

That… that could have been bad.

Grabbing a small towel nearby, he cleans his hands before he heads towards the door. As he approaches, he pulls his mask from his belt and places it over his face; the bard takes a breath to calm his pounding heart before he opens the door. “Hello~!” he greets, flashing the visitor a smile before he really even sees her. “Can I help you?” He blinks, realizing there’s a young girl standing there that he doesn’t recognize— one of Astrid’s friends, maybe?

… He’s not sure he can afford to feed anyone else with how much Astrid and her friend, Wolfe, already eat.

"Hello! Is this Astrid's house? Are you Cantio, her dad? Yes I would very much like your help!" Cirice smiles at him, full of excitement and brimming with enthusiasm. "I'm Cirice. Cirice Lunestra! I'm a friend of Astrid's, she told me a bit about you. She said you were looking to get into the mages guild and I was hoping we could do it together!" 

"I heard about this cool dwarven ruin they found in a mine in the Dragon's Spine. I think if we explore it maybe we can find something cool to research. Maybe even lost magics! Wouldn't that be soo cool?? Mother Moon said that 'deep within the dismal dark lies a truth lost since times of old.' So I was thinking we could go and find that and show it to the guild! What do you think?"

Cirice is here, on the porch of a house, in the largest village in Dragon's Spine, casually talking about going to find treasure in a hidden ruin without any concern for who might hear and take interest. Clearly her training as an adventurer is going swimmingly. 

He opens his mouth to respond but hesitates; beneath the mask, his face grows a shade darker at her mention of him being Astrid’s dad. He breathes a sheepish laugh, twirling a lock of crimson hair; among the many things he’s had to adjust to with ‘family life’, being referred to as Astrid's dad— whether by Astrid, or someone else— was one of them. He feels a little flutter of flattery and pride regardless. Cantio clears his throat; but before he can speak, the girl— newly introduced as Cirice— is well on her way through an enthusiastic ramble about multiple things.

It catches him a bit off guard.

Cantio blinks, head tilting when she mentions the Mage’s Guild, “Huh?” he repeats, tail swaying back and forth behind him. “Well— I mean…” Wait, did she just show up here to invite him out to this dwarven ruin? “Mother Moon?” He looks quizzically at her, utterly bewildered by everything she’d just said; but she’s here, and she took the time to come and find him, so… “Um…” he breathes a sheepish laugh and steps aside. He pulls the door open.

“Do you want to come in and tell me about this mine you’ve heard about?” he offers politely, “I’d be happy to make you some tea while we chat, or… um… we have Blixt™.” Yeah… Veliky had left them a non-zero amount of her trademarked product. “I am looking to get into the Mage’s Guild, though… so you’ve heard right! Unfortunately, I fear the Mage’s Guild is perhaps… not looking for a minstrel...” He cocks his head, his smile embarrassed. “I’ve been waiting to hear back about my application for a few months now, actually, so… I’m not sure if there’s much hope for myself at this point.”

"Oh yes please! I don't know what Blixt is but I'm happy for anything. Thank you so much!" Cirice strides into the house with a smile, excited to see the house and get to know Astrid's dad more. "Ooooh Its really nice in here! Very homey! What a lovely house!" She heads into the living room area and sits on a chair, looking at Cantio with the absolute bliss of unawareness. "Don't wait for them to get back to you, show them your worth and that they'd be lucky to have you! I've heard that if you give them new research they'll accept new members. So let's do that! You're the only person I even kind of know who wants to, so let's do it together! They'll realize that they totally need a minstrel!"

Her passion is infectious, she's practically bouncing in her seat as she talks. "Oh Mother Moon is my goddess, Lunala! She speaks to me and leads me to where she wants me to go! I'm a cleric!" Her smiles falters just a little, "Did Astrid not tell you about me? We went on an adventure together with Blue Raspberry..." She loses a little bit of her excitement and looks down, awkwardly. 

“I don’t know what it is either, to be honest.” Cantio laughs sheepishly; he scratches at the side of his cheek, closing the door behind Cirice as she trots in, completely unabashed by a stranger’s home, which is… actually kind of a safety hazard in hindsight, isn’t it?

He walks slowly after Cirice as she trots inside and takes a seat on a chair; her eyes are bright as she looks back at him. “Huh? Oh, well… I mean, I…” he trails off, smiling sheepishly. “I have a few times, actually— I just… haven’t heard a response back, which is fine!” he waves a hand dismissively, trying not to make a big deal of it— but she suggests attempting again together, which… Well, he does really want to get into the Mage’s Guild...

His tail flicks back and forth while he considers it… but she’s still speaking, so he slowly tunes back in. “Oh?” Yeah, that makes sense; he’s about to answer her, when suddenly she starts to frown. “O-oh, um…” Cantio hesitates, then smiles apologetically. “I’m sorry Cirice— Astrid and I haven’t been able to catch up in a while and she’s not here at the moment.” he laughs softly, moving into the kitchen to fetch her a bottle of Blixt™.

“It’s less that she hasn’t told me about you, just that she hasn’t been home in a while— you may have even beat her back, honestly!” He offers the bottle to Cirice. “I’m so sorry about that; I’m excited to meet you, though! I haven’t met a lot of Astrid’s friends—” he hesitates slightly, then breathes a chuckle. “Actually, you might be the first outside of Blue Raspberry that I’ve met. It really is nice to meet you; it makes me happy that Astrid can count on good friends like you.”

He tilts his head, offering her a warm smile in an attempt to up her mood. “But… about the ruins you were talking about; I do still want to join the Mage’s Guild!” he adds, “I don’t know if I could be of much help, but since I’m here, I wouldn’t mind helping you find what you’re looking for.”

"Its more like she has my back. She took me on my first adventure and she was terrifying. She and Blue obliterated some harpies. She smashed them all with her massive hammers and then Blue electrocuted them and just slurped them up like noodles, feathers and all! He claims he's just a human knight but I don't believe him one bit. I'm hoping to adventure with them again, now that I've gotten a little more experience myself. I'm not as easily scared anymore!" Cirice says proudly, admitting that she's become traumatized to the point of being unaffected by gratuitous violence and carnage. She takes a sip of the Blixt and blinks, its strange and she's never had anything like it but its really tasty. She quickly downs the whole thing with a happy sigh. "This is pretty yummy, thanks!"

"So I beat her here, okay. That's good. I would be really sad if she hadn't told you about me, good friends talk about each other! Its so wonderful to meet you and now you can surprise her!" She giggles. "I promise I'll always be there for her as much as I can. Thats what friends are for!"

"Don't talk about yourself as if you aren't awesome, if Astrid says you're awesome you must be! We'll have ourselves a great adventure you can tell Astrid about when she gets home and show the Mages' Guild our skills!" She believes her words wholeheartedly, its the truth and she wishes that people she met wouldn't doubt themselves. A little bit of magic seeps into her words¹, she wants him to believe in himself and be more confident. She watches his tail and thinks of how Iryla looks away whenever Cirice compliments her. Maybe his tail wags anxiously when he gets compliments? Thats really cute.

"So me and you, we'll go into the mine, find the cool stuff inside and show it to the guild! It should be really easy and not dangerous at all!"

---

1 Smooth Talking

“O-oh.” Cantio’s golden eyes are wide while Cirice describes the ultraviolence that had come with her initial meeting of Astrid and Blue Raspberry, which is definitely different than the scenario he might have imagined. “He… he slurped them up like noodles… Really... ?” Cantio trails off, staring at the far wall while he contemplates the nature of a man slurping up a harpy like pasta, and he does not like it.

Is it some kind of metaphor?

He's not sure he understands.

He blinks back into reality at Cirice’s voice. “Huh? Oh, you’re welc… wait, did you already drink the whole thing?” He can barely drink half of one without feeling like his heart’s about to give out.

Is she going to be okay?

He blinks a few times, then shakes his head to straighten himself out. She seems fine! “Aha, yes— she certainly will be surprised to know you stopped by, I’m sure!” he agrees; his smile is slightly concerned, but warm when she promises to look out for her. “I’d appreciate that… Astrid’s more than able to take care of herself, but I still worry when she's out and about. Blue Raspberry is a good friend, though, and I trust him at least.”

He breathes a slight sigh, resting a hand against his cheek while he listens to Cirice. She… seems really confident in this, doesn’t she? She seems like she actually wants him to join her for whatever reason, although he doesn’t really know why… He did once promise Astrid to teach her some tricks from the Mage’s Guild if he ever got in, which…

Well, he didn’t get in, so he's never been able to live up to that promise.

His tail flicks back and forth ponderously while he considers the possibility; golden eyes turning up to Cirice when she finishes her encouraging speech. He swallows anxiously, brows furrowed while he looks away for a moment; after a moment, the minstrel takes a deep breath and straightens his posture.

“You know what? I’ve got nothing to lose. Let’s do it!” he agrees— and if he can’t get in, maybe Cirice at least can. Maybe she’d be willing to help tutor Astrid in her newfound magical abilities? Maybe! “Give me a few minutes to get my things, and we can go.” The tiefling's tail sways and undulates as he strolls by Cirice, heading down the hall into one of the rooms.

The noise of some shuffling, rustling, and the occasional, "Oops—" followed by a heavy thud, emanates, before Cantio eventually reappears, pulling his arm through his cloak; but otherwise, more ready to go than he was previously.

Cirice sits and waits for Cantio patiently. For about a minute and then she burps. The burp tastes like strawberry, maybe mango, and she covers her mouth embarrassedly even though no one is around to hear it. She gets to her feet and starts to explore the unfinished house. There are quite a few rooms and even more boxes inside, furniture thrown around haphazardly waiting for its new home. There are even a few plants that she looks at with passing interest and then subsequently bounces away, leaving them wilting in her wake¹ as magic just starts to pour off her without rhyme or reason in her heightened state. Her heart is beating quickly now, her frenetic pace rising in time with it as she decides she'll help them move it while she's here. She summons Ur², her little wolpertinger companion to help her arrange the furniture while she waits.

By the time Cantio has gotten his things together and walked back out of his room she and Ur have constructed an intricate and absurd labyrinth of boxes and furniture throughout most of the front of the house and Cirice is standing atop a pyramid of chairs she's assembled, admiring their handiwork.

"Oh good there you are I hope you like what we've done with the place it was really drab before and I thought maybe you'd need some help! I think Astrid will really like it its like a little mini adventure right in her living room!" Her long continuous prolonged train of thought gushes out of her like a geyser. She hops over the mess to him and looks up at him with big, dilated eyes. Her pupils are like large pits of darkness filled with flickering motes of violet and silver light and she stares at Cantio for a moment unblinking as she continues. "Oh your jacket is really cute I love it and your tail is so expressive its almost like a cat Zarius' isn't that expressive its so cute can I touch it? Please please please???" 

---

1 Corrupting touch
2 Summon Minor Minion

Cantio stops dead in his tracks.

For a moment, all he can do is wonder if perhaps he got lost in his wardrobe; wandered the textile plains of his singular owned outfit for several years; and then somehow stumbled back to Charon, where the house has been utterly destroyed by a hurricane.

He looks up, finding Cirice at the top of a massive pyramid of chairs.

A hurricane named Cirice…

“Um— Miss Cirice?” he calls up at her; he squeezes past some furniture that is way too close together, and has to suck in his breath to do so. He exhales as he passes through the tiny gap. He was only gone for a few minutes! What in the world happened? “Are you okay, I…” he narrows his eyes at a plant that seems to have begun to wither, even though he was… certain he watered it this morning and it was fine!

He blinks, then looks back at Cirice with concern— but she’s hopped down from her throne of chairs to join him, spooking him when he realizes how close she actually is. “Goodness— I— um— well, it’s—” he tries to get a word in, but Cirice is going off like she has no end. Eventually, he stops trying to stumble getting a word in.

“...”

Finally, she stops for a moment and stares at him, unblinking; her eyes are wide, cat-like almost.

“Miss—”

His words die on his tongue because suddenly Cirice is continuing without warning. “A-ah…” he trails off, smiling sheepishly and politely while she prattles. He tries to keep track of the topics— he really does! But she’s covering so many at once, and all so fast, and— wait.

A look of surprise crosses his face. “Huh? You know Zarius?” he asks, head tilting curiously, and… wait what is that? His eyes flicker to Ur, confused, then back to Cirice. He shakes his head, trying to put everything together. “W-wait, that’s… um… sorry, I’m just a little lost.” He places a hand on his temples, then claps them together in front of his chest. “You know what? It’s great! What you did with the place is great— Astrid is going to love it when she gets back.”

Their home is a natural disaster.

“Cirice— say, are you, um… are you feeling okay? Maybe you should sit down before we go, or can I get you a glass of water, or…?” He folds his hands together, smiling sheepishly while he speaks.

"What? No I'm fine! I feel great in fact, my heart is practically singing from excitement!" Cirice hops and twirls around, Ur jumping into her arms for her to snuggle. "This is Ur, he's my little buddy Mother Moon gave me who helps me out when I need it! Isn't he the cutest??? He's a bunny with eagle wings, fangs, antlers and claws! A wolpertinger! OH yeah I totally know Zarius you do too thats wonderful! You know I met him and Astrid at the same time, I was in an alley taking a nap and communing with Mother Moon and she said that "horned folks would help me find fame and glory" and I woke up and there they were! Zarius bought me these cute clothes and fed us all and I got this necklace to match his eyes see???" She shows him the amber topaz that hangs from a thin chain around her neck. "Then I left and went on the harpy slurpening adventure with Astrid and Blue like I said before!"

The endless stream of chatter shows no sign of slowing down as she keeps talking and she watches him with a big smile and those too-wide eyes. "Zarius also introduced me to Iryla and we went on an adventure together and then I met her dad Cyran and basically he's super nice and I was really excited to meet you too because you're Astrid's dad and all my friends have such great dads and it makes me really happy because family is important! I'm glad you think Astrid will like the maze!"

“You’re sure it’s not singing from something else?” Cantio asks, tail flicking worriedly while his golden gaze tracks the eager and excited girl around their home. “O-oh, yes he’s very cute!” he agrees— partially because it’s true— and partially because he can’t keep up with Cirice in her whirlwind of energy and excitement. He does really want to pet the Wolpertinger, though— but he's afraid it might bite him. “Really? You met Zarius with Astrid—” He trails off, blinking when she shows him the amber topaz.

Goodness gracious, he can barely get a word in! He tries to recall all the things Astrid had caught him up on when they'd first met up again at the house for the first time.

He still tries to be attentive, though— leaning in to gaze at the beautiful amber stone— before looking back to her. “Iryla?” he asks, quizzically— he also doesn’t know who this Cyran fellow is. “Well, I’m very glad that you were able to go on so many adventures, and meet so many new friends! I’m very glad to meet you as well, Miss Cirice.” he agrees, folding his hands together in front of him with a sheepish chuckle.

Oh boy, she’s said so much; maybe he really should’ve made her tea, instead…

But, uh, maybe she can run off the energy or something?

“Yes, yes she’ll definitely love it!” She probably won’t, but he can fix this later, it’s fine! As long as she didn’t touch the forge, that is… Gods he hopes she didn't touch the forge. “Oh, but— you wanted to go to this ruin, right? I don’t know where it is, so, whenever you’re ready… how about we head that way?” He suggests, hoping maybe to redirect her excited energy into what she came here for. “And you can tell me more about the ruins! Or why you want to get into the Mage’s Guild?”

Cirice stops dead in her tracks, turning and looking at Cantio seriously with massive too-wide eyes. "Mother Moon wills it." She says with an absolutely serious voice, her frenetic bouncing coming to a halt and the motes of silver and violet dancing brighter and faster in her gaze.


And then... all at once the caffeine wears off and she feels suddenly and incredibly exhausted. Ur vanishes back to the shadows from whence he was summoned and she rubs her face. ...What was that? She finds the nearest chair and slumps into it, the whole world spinning a little as her brain catches up to itself.


"I'm sorry... I feel really tired suddenly. But we can go. I'll be okay." She gives Cantio a tired smile, looking almost sleepy. "The ruin isn't too far down the mountain. Its beneath a mine just south of here, near a town called Copper's Folly. If you'll just give me some water we can go at once." Her throat feels really dry and her eyes are stinging a bit so she blinks them quickly. 

"Was that drink some kind of magic potion? Or maybe some strong alcohol or something? I've never had anything like it..."

Cantio startles when Cirice turns to him with wide eyes, repeating that her “Mother Moon” had willed it— that was Lunala, right? “A-ah, I see.” he agrees with a soft, sheepish laugh until… Suddenly, Cirice just stops. It’s like watching a Blixtbot™ run out of energy. The wolpertinger vanishes, and Cirice is suddenly wobbly on her feet.

“Oh— Cirice, are you okay?” he asks, reaching out to catch her lightly by the arm. He moves with her, helping her ease into the nearest chair when she starts to slump; he watches her with a worried look in his eyes.

Oh dear.

He didn’t mean to wear her out! What the hell is in that Blixt™?

Worriedly, he smiles. “I’m sorry, Cirice— it’s, um… a friend makes it, I think it’s supposed to give you more energy, but it must have been a pretty strong one…” In front of her, the minstrel drops back into a crouch, holding his hands in front of him for a moment; he closes his palms together, then pulls them apart. Held in his hands sits a small, wolpertinger-like rabbit— clearly crafted by light.

Its nose wiggles, and it looks up at Cirice, stretching its wings. Cantio offers her a warm, apologetic smile. “It’s just a trick, but maybe this little guy will make you feel better— in the meantime, I’ll get you some water. Stay right here, okay?” He gives a little pop of his hands, and the wolpertinger flaps its wings and flutters up to Cirice’s shoulder. ⁽¹⁾

Cantio stands and turns away to get her a glass of water. The little light being, meanwhile, sits for only a moment, before looking up; wings outstretched, the little creature bounces and swoops around Cirice’s head— in a sparkle of sun rays, it turns into a small, circular beam of light, which might help clear her head— if only a little bit.⁽²⁾

And if it doesn't, the little Wolpertinger night-light is cute, at least.

---

^{(1) Light — A simple spell that allows you to create a small light, whether in your hand or on an object. This light illuminates a small area around you or the object you have illuminated. This light is considered magically in effect.}

^{(2) Guardian's Light — A unique spell that can target any alley within sight. A small ring of light surrounds the targets head, cleansing their mind of an spells or effects that would have taken hold of them. While the spell remains they can no longer be feared, have their minds altered or be put under the effects of any spell that would attempt to alter their mental state.}

Cirice blinks in surprise as Cantio creates a cute little Ur out of light for her. He’s absolutely adorable and soothing, just like the real thing but made of light instead of shadows. She reaches up to pet it as Cantio runs to grab her some water but then the little guy starts floating around her head and the fatigue from the crash fades gradually. By the time Cantio has returned with the water she’s feeling much better and she gives him an apologetic smile.



“Thank you. I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to cause you so much trouble. ’ll clean up this mess…” She looks at the mess she’s created and feels guilty. He invited her into the house and now she’s made a bunch of work for him. That isn’t something a good houseguest should do. It had been really hard for her to reign in her impulsive excitement under the effects of the Blixt^tm but now all she feels is tired and embarrassed. “Your friend made that stuff…? Its powerful. I don’t think I want any more. Maybe ever.” She waves her hand and Ur reappears and starts getting to work setting things back to right as she hides behind her cup and sips the water slowly. What if he hates her now? What if he doesn’t want to go on an adventure with her anymore? “Why did you want to join the mages guild? If you don’t mind me asking…”