Of Wraiths and Kings, and Friends and Rings (Calling All Nazgul)

[Lotesse]

"Viniglaen," she replied instantly, apparantly unaffected by Ray's flirtatious mien. "My name is Viniglaen, or if you prefer to speak fewer syllables, you may simply call me 'Viv.'"

[The last sane person]

"Forgive me for seeming bold Viniglaen." Ray looked down and gave a small bow. "I'm sorry Lily, but the mirouvor will have to wait for me at least, I must go." Ray got up from his seat and bowed to all those present, "it has been an honor to meet all of you, this has been a very...fortunate day." He walked towards the door, Marty threw him a questioning look, and Lily asked, "Why must you go? Is something troubling you?"

Ray laughed, and Pengolod offered "If your mind is troubled I can show you around the grounds, if you wish to walk to soothe your mind?" Ray bowed again but gave a small wave of his hand. "My mind is....perhaps troubled, yes. But it would take a walk around the world twice over ease my troubled mind. But more over, I am a King's Man. Where is my king?" Marty and Ray shared a look, and Marty got up as well, fetching his cloak. "my friend is right, what shoddy guardsmen are we. We have not seen our king in almost a day and a half, with no clue as to where he is. I too bid you a good afternoon."

Marty gave a bow and donned his cloak as they left the manor, stepping aside for a pretty half-elf who was comming up the way. Ray was putting on his gloves, both were thinking "What has gotten into me today?" But marty was smiling, "What a good day was this! So many beautiful women! Aii! Comming to the University might have been the wisest choice I've made!"

"Right. Our king, where might Val be?" Marty and Ray looked at each other, knowing the answer. They made way to a more wholesome and less pretencious pub that Val liked to frequent. They would start their search there.

[CrazySquirrel]

When the two victims of Penny and Lil's oriental hospitality left the house unsteadily, the four wraiths sat for some time in silence, eyeing each other warily. Lilly was worried, her mind racing frantically. What was Khamul doing in Tharbad? Did he feel the same silent mysterious call as she and Five did? Apparently so… Indeed it must be so, as Vivvi was there also. So... were all the others coming too? WHO has called them and WHY? Or were they also after the Ruling Ring? At this thought, a cold shiver ran down Lilly's spine. Will we have to fight each other over the Ring? There was no friendship in the shadow of the One. Only fire and pain and madness...

Five, as well as Lilly, has not seen Khamul or Viv since the fall of Mordor, for almost 50 years now. He felt uneasy, seeing them now coming out of the blue on the same night.
Five opened the conversation saying, "Well met, My Lord Khamul, welcome to Tharbad. Where are you coming from, and what are you planning to do here, if I may ask?"

Khamul gave his characteristic sarcastic smile, never reaching his cold black eyes. " I learned that my brother and two sisters were left all alone without guidance. As a big brother I am duty bound to look after you. So, my dears, I will stay here. Please, go look after my horse, Lord Buzukkumarz, I left it at the gate. Is there not a single servant in this place?"

"I have not had the opportunity to hire servants yet", explained Lilly nervously.
"Do so today. And don't forget a stable boy." ordered Khamul.

Saying that in his usual I -am-the-master-here tone, Khamul yawned and went to the Master's bedroom, Lilly's favourite abode. Without bothering to take off his boots, he stretched on the rose feather bed and soon drifted away on the paths of undead dreams.

[Rían]

RÃ*an walked up the lonely road, with thoughts as dark as her long hair. She was still a little shaken - it was a long time since she had felt such a strong sense of repulsion and evil as she had felt when that thing in the coach addressed her. But remembering the "elf-chick" comment made a smile break through on her fair countenance, and a laugh soon followed - what a ridiculously incongrouos comment coming from that blob! - and soon she had shaken off the cloud that had hung over her since that chance encounter.

She came around the last turn in the road and Orrodel stood before her, large and stately, but a little run to seed. "They sure DO need some help here!" she thought. "Maybe my rather thin resume won't matter as much as I thought it would!"

She lifted up her chin, went up to the main door, and knocked. The door was opened by a rather amazing-looking lady, and RÃ*an blinked in surprise, but managed to not gasp out loud. "How in the WORLD is that dress staying on her?" she wondered. "She must use some type of adhesive!" Putting aside these totally irrelevant (but interesting) thoughts, RÃ*an announced, "I have come in response to your ad that I saw in the paper today," then wondered why that feeling of repulsion and evil, which her laugh had dispelled earlier on the road, had somehow returned when the door opened ...

[CrazySquirrel]

A sweet smile that graced Lilly's face when she opened the door instantly disappeared when her eyes beheld ... a she-elf? She smelled like one. And, sure, she had pointy ears. And she had no decency to hide them! Ugh!

Lilly hated elves all her life. Disgusting, haughty, foul-smelling creatures.
What in Angband was this one doing at her door, blinking at her? Lilly fought the urge to grip the thin elven neck and squeeze... hard, really hard.

Meanwhile, oblivious to her peril, the she-elf announced, "I have come in response to your ad that I saw in the paper today."

"What is an Ad?" asked Lilly in a raspy voice. The smell of elven blood cloyed to her nostrils. Lilly stopped breathing entirely to be able to fight the temptation to spill it.

"This advertisement", explained the elf patiently, showing Lilly a tattered newspaper. Lilly recognised it. Yesss, the housekeeper.

Normally, Lilly would have never allowed an elf in her house. But Khamul has given an order to settle things this very day. Lilly slowly moved aside to let the elf in.

Rian looked around in wonder. Sure, this house needed a housekeeper badly. And a lot of servants to boot. Exquisite furniture was covered in layers of dust, windows seemed to be washed an Age ago, things were lying everywhere in disorder.

Lilly led the way to the sitting-room. It was empty, though Rian had a strange feeling of unseen eyes following her very move. With shaking hand she produced the letter of recommendation from the tavern she worked in.

Lilly glanced at the letter, but made not a single comment. Instead, she sat in a big armchair and with a curt gesture indicated a chair for Rian to sit.

"Now, uhm...Rian, I want to hear your story. Why an elf wants to be a housekeeper?" asked Lilly, piercing her with her huge, cold green eyes.

[Lief Erikson]

The vast coach rolled to a stop at the city gates, and the guards immediately called "halt!" The lieutenant stared in disbelief at the bizarre sight before him, and then motioned down to his men with one hand. "We'll need the king's decision, about this one."

"I wish to talk with your king!" the rolling, somersaulting voice below fizzled out of the coach. "There is much business for the two of us to discuss."

[Grey_Wolf]

While his big brother was asleep, Penny sat down by the fire and poured himself a hefty drink. Meanwhile, Lilly was still chattimg with her new elfin helper.

[Gordis]

Turning invisible, Viv ventured into the sitting room and had a good look at the new housekeeper. The elf was telling what sounded like a boring personal story, Lily was listening rather impatiently, playing with a tiny knife at her belt.
"Hmm, what is Lily thinking hiring an Elf?", mused Viv silently... Our “patient� Lily! Viv grinned mischievously. But then, Lily had no options. Khamûl was really UNPLEASANT, to put it mildly, if his orders were not carried to the letter.

Wandering aimlessly through the big house that she had as yet no opportunity to see, Viv came to the front door. The post box was overflowing with newspapers. Viv was curious by nature, so she decided to have a look at them and to see what was happening or was about to happen in the noble city of Tharbad.
Grabbing the pile of newspapers, she carried them to a dusty round table. The uppermost one happened to be this Saturday morning issue of Tharbad gazette. The headline of Society section read “HM High King Valandil will attend the Reception at the University on Sunday�.
“I must show that to Lilly!�
Viv jumped up, knocking down the pile of papers. Lying in the midst of the spilled newspapers, Viv noticed two, no, three letters. Picking them up, Viv saw that one was addressed to "Lady Lilaenwen, daughter of Aldacar", the other to "Lord Pengolod, son of Aldacar" and the third… no, it was simply impossible…she came to Tharbad only last night… but it was addressed to "Lady Viniglaen"!
Frantic now, Viv opened her letter and read it. Then, forgetting all else, she rushed upstairs.

Hearing Viv’s running footsteps even in the midst of his dream, Khamul woke instantly, gripped his sword and rushed out of the bedroom. Five was already at the ready with a long knife in his hand. Viv ran into the room, the news on her lips, but had to stop abruptly at the sight of the drawn blades. At this point, she was almost knocked down by a taller and heavier Lilly, who left her guest and came upstairs in a rush.
“What’s the matter, Viniglaen? asked Khamul, after checking the staircase for attackers.

“We are summoned to the Arch-Chancellor of the University, this very evening, Lily and Five and I,� replied Viv, turning the envelopes in her hand. "How in Mordor could they learn about me??"

“And you made such a fuss for so little?� asked Khamul angrily. “Every new student is summoned to the Chancellor, that is the custom here. It is a formality, no more.�

“But that is in three hours! What shall I wear??� wailed Lily.
Viv rolled her eyes.

[Rían]

RÃ*an finished straightening up the kitchen. What a mess! Maybe the inn wasn't such a bad place, after all! But once she set her hand to something, RÃ*an liked to see it through. And this place certainly was not going to be boring!

She thought back to the interview. She replayed Lilly's question in her mind. "Why WOULD an elf want to be a housekeeper?" She had answered honestly that although elves aren't known for taking in interest in human affairs, especially recently, she was different. There were those, like Finrod, who did take an interest in humans, and even lived among them, and she was just one of that minority. She had heard of Tharbad being an interesting place and decided to come take a look for herself. And being without friends or family in the place, she needed to provide for herself by taking employment. She had worked at the inn now for some time, and wanted to try something new.

"I know my references are rather light, but I also can see that you need help as soon as possible, and I'm available this very minute. I am sure my work will give you satisfaction..." she broke off and looked around, thinking that someone was entering or leaving the room, but apparently not; she must still be jumpy from that encounter earlier this afternoon! She repeated, "I know my work will give you satisfaction, and in return, I shall expect to be treated with respect, and to have regular time off."

Lilly, fingering her dagger, looked torn between taking offense at the subtle insult and grabbing at the domestic lifeline. In the end, apparently the latter urge was the stronger, and RÃ*an found herself in the possession of the household keys. "All except these," said Lilly, and she hastily grabbed the large set of keys back out of RÃ*an's hand and wrenched a few off. "Now go and take care of the kitchen!" she said as she thrust the keys back at RÃ*an. And with that, her new employer left her and ran up the stairs.

[Rían]

Annawen re-read the note from RÃ*an. "Well, she's a fast worker!", she thought with a smile. "I'll sure miss her!" But as she pictured RÃ*an's lovely dark hair, slender elven form and fair elven face (but with that something just a little different, altho she couldn't put a finger on it), she reconsidered; what if the young king should come by again? It would be nice to have the field a little more clear...

As she went to pack up a few items that RÃ*an had asked her to send up to the castle for her as a favor, she heard a rumbling noise, and looked up to see a gaudy coach roll past, accompanied by a palace guard, no less! "Well, what a day it's been for wonders!", she thought in amazement. "What's next?"

She knew what she hoped would be next...

[Grey_Wolf]

Five or Pennie had, in invisible mode, walked around in the house hoping to catch some interesting sights. But there not being any returned to the fireplace and his unfinished drink.

[Valandil]

(slight rewind in time)

Just when Valandil thought his day could NOT get any worse...

First there had been the midnight ride, the fall and twisting his ankle... he had fairly botched his big chance of a first encounter with the fabled Earniel, had let his breakfast get cold, and now this waitress was making eyes and smiling at him all the time (had a little conversation given her THAT much encouragement?)... and hadn't even STUDIED... like he was SUPPOSED to be doing. And tomorrow... he had to have that meeting with The Chancellor!!

And now... THIS guy had found him again. How on Arda did he KEEP finding him? And WHY on Arda did he keep imagining that Valandil was an Elven King??

"Your highness, please hear my tale and read the following petition." the ragged, beggar-like figure said as he drew a scroll from under his ragged outer garment and passed it to Valandil.

Valandil feigned shock as he looked at the same old parchment he must have seen a thousand times.

"The Greyflood may seem here to be flowing steadily, but in truth it is drying up!" the elf exclaimed."We have sung to the waters day and night, but they will not heed us. The water is many feet below what it should have been. Because of this, our irrigation systems are failing and the farms that once poured out grain are becoming worthless. We need royal aid to get us out of this crisis."

Mental illness is sad among any of the free peoples of Middle Earth, but somehow it seemed particularly tragic among Elves... perhaps owing to the great majesty they could have... or perhaps the fact that they were culturally in complete denial over the whole mental illness thing anyway... sad indeed.

At least it gave him a break from Annawen's perpetual gazes.

A sudden inspiration struck Valandil.

"You know... I think you're on to something there. Here... I've thought before that we should get the BEST MINDS in the Kingdom working on this right away... but now it seems so clear... what better mind to solve this puzzle than YOUR OWN! Now... go to this address and ask for the High.. Lord.. Chamberlain. Tell him that you're to be given charge of an entire orchestra... complete with choir, that you may seek for the right notes, or the correct tune or tempo... and solve this problem once and for all!"

"But... your Highness..."

Just then, a guard arrived, seeming somewhat nervous. He bowed low and said, "My King... an unusual carriage has arrived at the northwest gate to the city. They request admittance, but the guards were uncertain what to do and have sent me to bring you, that you may judge what is best."

*That I may judge?!?? thought Valandil. What on Arda kind of idiots were they posting at the city gates these days? If it doesn't belong, you don't let it in... that's been The Rule from time immemorial... at ANY place! Who is the genius who wants to send for the High King and ask HIM to play porter every time an outlaw or Dwarf dairy farmer comes along?*

*Still... this might be a timely diversion..."

"Oh see there now? A King's work is never done! I am needed at the northwest gate and most procede there forthwith. Go straightaway to the address I've given you while I see to this new pressing development," (and Valandil tried to suppress a mischievous smile... no need to bother the REAL Lord High Chamberlain about this... good thing he had remembered the address on the 'Help Wanted' ad for the household servant). "As for me, I must be off! Guard... show me the way!"

With that, Valandil was off and on his way.

[Valandil]

(slight rewind in time)

Just when Valandil had begun to wonder if his day could possibly get any worse.

First... there was the midnight ride, the fall and his ankle, botching his big chance of a first meeting with the fabled Lady Earniel... then letting his breakfast get cold and this waitress continually looking and smiling at him (had the bit of conversation given her THAT much encouragement??). And on top of all that, he was SUPPOSED to be STUDYING... and had to meet with the Chancellor tomorrow!

And now this.... THIS fellow! How on Arda did he keep FINDING him? And WHY on Arda did he always think that Valandil was an Elven King, despite having it all patiently explained to him on so many occasions.

"Your highness, please hear my tale and read the following petition." said the ragged, beggar-like figure as he stepped through the door of the inn.

He drew a scroll from under his ragged outer garment and passed it to Valandil - who feigned surprise at seeing a blank piece of parchment he felt he must have seen a thousand times already.

"The Greyflood may seem here to be flowing steadily, but in truth it is drying up!" the elf exclaimed. "We have sung to the waters day and night, but they will not heed us. The water is many feet below what it should have been. Because of this, our irrigation systems are failing and the farms that once poured out grain are becoming worthless. We need royal aid to get us out of this crisis."

Mental illlness was a sad thing among any of the Free Peoples of Middle Earth, but somehow it was particularly tragic among the Elves. Maybe it was the majesty they could reach in their heights... or maybe it was just the cultural denial they had about mental illness itself... sad indeed.

And didn't the old chap realize that it was his irrigation that was most likely bringing down the water levels?!?!!?

He was about to respond as he always had before, when a sudden inspiration struck him.

"Yes... that has been much in my thoughts lately. And while formerly, I would have scoured my very realm to get the BEST MINDS working on it, the answer now seems so clear to me. You... YOU would be best suited to solve this matter!"

"But my Lord King... I have no..."

"Never mind about that, now go to..."

Suddenly, another interruption. A guard nervously approached, knelt down and said, "My Lord King... the guards at the northwest gate... something unusual has arrived and they are not certain of what to do. They request your judgement in the matter."

Of all the lame-brained, idiotic things he had heard, this beat them all. From time immemorial, The Rule has always been - if it belongs, you let it in, if it doesn't belong, you don't let it in. Now what was so hard about that? Who in their right mind sends for the High King to play porter when he can't decide what to do with an outlaw or a Dwarf dairy-farmer? Ah well... in this case, it just MIGHT be a welcome interruption.

"See now... a King's work is never done! Must be off right away... to the gate you know! But here... go to this.. address.. and ask for the Lord.. High.. Chamberlain. He will see to it that you are equipped with the best orchestra and choir which may be found, that you may sing to the river as pleases it, until it rises to the proper levels (don't overdo it now... flooding is an ugly thing... and we'd hate to see it happen to Tharbad)."

Valandil smiled - and hoped that the mischief didn't show through. No need to bother the REAL High Lord Chamberlain... good thing he had remembered the address from the 'Help Wanted' ad.

Then Valandil departed with the guard, stumping along to his horse, then riding briskly to the northwest gate.

[The last sane person]

OOC: double posty?

Ray and Marty fairly flew towards the bar when they saw Valandil mounting up and riding north. "Hey! Val! Wait for us!" Valandil turned around in his saddle and gave a lopsided grin and waved them over to where his horse stamped the ground.

"Hey guys, whats up? I take it you don't believe in riding horses anymore? Come, borrow the horses in the stable. I've got to get to the gate, some addlepates don't know what to do with something."

"...We didn't think we would need to ride ass over teakettle anywheres." Marty looked Val up and down, and noticed his swamp stained clothes and somewhat muddied horse. "Wow, I was going to tell you of our adventure over the night and morning, but it seems you have had some adventures of your own. Whats the matter with the leg?" He had noticed the way Val was holding his foot in the stirrup.

Valandil grumbled, "Went for a morning ride, and the fog concealed a root and my horse and I took a tumble. It's nothing. Tell me about what happened to you guys on the way to the gate." Marty arched his eyebrows, knowing that there was more than what Val was letting on, but mounted up all the same when Ray brought the horses. They set off at a goodly pace.

[CrazySquirrel]

Washing dirty dishes (several weeks worth) piled in the sink, Rian heard footsteps of several persons coming from the upper floor. Lily was not a single inhabitant of the house, that much was clear. The conversation with her new Lady ending so abruptly suited Rian well, at least there had been no time to tell her story in full. One thing bothered Rian, though. She had no opportunity to raise the crucial question of salary.

Upstairs the preparations went full swing,
Lilly scanned through her dresses, and has finally chosen a bright yellow, almost golden one, with a long train and practically no sleeves. Five, or Penny, as Lilly now called him to get used to the name, was summoned to lace her corselet. He had been doing that particular task daily for three weeks now, and has become quite an expert. He has grown fond of the task as well, as his feelings for Lil were far from brotherly.

This time, however, Khamul ventured to help Penny, so, between them, they laced Lilly so tight that it almost crushed her ribcage. Her weak attempts to breathe made her D-sized breasts swell above the corselet, threatening to jump out of the dress entirely. But Lilly didn't mind at all. She was quite happy with her 15-inch waist.

“Now, Vivvie, could you put some kohl around my eyes to accentuate them?� pleaded Lilly. She could not do it herself, as she was unable to see her sunny countenance in a mirror, and no man was clever enough to be assigned that delicate task.

“Uhm, Lil�, came Viv’s muted reply from her bedroom, “I an kind of busy myself right now. Why won’t you go and ask this new elf-servant of yours?�

“Good idea�, cried Lilly in relief. “But you will check how it looks later!�

[Earniel]

Eärniel just turned around the corner by the Red Herring as she saw the three riders take off in the other direction. She couldn't see their faces but she was sure she had recognized the horse of the first one. She had the feeling she would run into him again. Still, at least it was better that it happened in Tharbad than in Nîn-In-Eilph...

She looked up to the sign of the Red Herring. It looked quiet and decent enough. This was just what she was looking for.

As she entered, the serving girl looked up expectantly. Her expression fell when she saw who entered.

"Are you open?," Eärniel asked, thinking she had entered at the wrong time.

The serving girl blushed. "Oh, yes. Yes, come in," she said hurriedly. "I was just... eh... expecting somebody else, that's all."

"I see," said Eärniel with a smile. She remembered who had just left this establishment. It would seem the High King of Arnor was quite a heart-breaker...

She ordered her breakfast and sat down at one of the tables. She was going through her papers again when Annawen brought her her food.

"Oh, you're also a student at the university?" the serving girl asked as she recognized the papers.

"Since this morning," Eärniel replied. "You too?"

"Yes," said Annawen. "Say, you wouldn't happened to follow the Commerce class, would you?"

"No, I don't think I signed up for that. Is that a problem?"

"No, no problem. I was just wondering," said Annawen with a smile before she left to serve the other clients, leaving Eärniel to ponder the significance of that Commerce class. Annawen had almost seemed relieved to find out Eärniel wouldn't be following those classes. Eärniel couldn't help but wonder why.

With a shrug she turned to her papers again and opened the invitation from the Arch-Chancellor she had received with her enrollment papers. It was for tonight.

[Rían]

Lilly leaned over the stairrail, almost falling out of her dress in the process, and called down in a shrill voice, "RÃ*an! Get your little pointy-eared ... *cough* ... could you please come up here and help me with my face?" She thought to herself, "MUST restrain myself!!! These elves can get rather shirty, and I don't want to lose a potential source of amusement!" Her mind ran on some thoughts that the gentle reader would probably rather not join her in.

RÃ*an came running up the stairs, thinking to herself that she was glad that she never picked up this particular female human habit of face-painting. She smiled to herself, and looked for her reflection in a mirror to smile back at her, but although the stairwell was covered in frames, they all enclosed landscapes or portraits - there was not a single mirror among them. That was certainly strange, she thought, for a house of one who was apparently so interested in her looks ...

She gave a light knock on the door and entered the room...

[CrazySquirrel]

The room, which was meant to be a lady's boudoir, looked like a battlefield, or more like a pigsty: dresses, underwear, hairpins, jewellery, unwashed glasses and empty bottles lying everywhere. Rian's eyes were drawn to a beautiful golden-framed mirror, the first one she has seen in the house, smashed to tiny fragments. Pieces of glass were everywhere.
Rian shivered in disgust. She was a neat creature and could never imagine noble humans living like that.

The door to the bedroom was slightly ajar, allowing Rian to see a pair of muddied boots belonging, obviously, to a man lying on the bed.
"Lilly's husband" thought Rian. "He might at least come say hello".

Lilly interrupted her thoughts by shoving a tiny brush into her hand.
"Does she really think her eyes need accentuating?" thought the elf.

"My lady", started Rian, putting the paint on Lily's eyelashes and in the corners of her eyes. With the dark paint on, Lilly looked like a dragon, magnetic green eyes filling half of her face. "My Lady, we have not yet discussed the amount of my salary and my duties".

Would thirty gold coins be enough? asked Lilly impatiently.
"A year?" asked Rian.
"No, a month, dearie" replied Lilly to dumbfounded Rian. The sum was enormous.
"What will be required of me, my Lady?" asked Rian at last. Dark suspicions started to plague her anew. But one doesn't run away just because her employer offered too much!
"I have told you already", snapped Lilly. "You must get this house running smootly. You are to hire the servants. A kitchen maid, a butler, a couple of house servants and a.. no, two stable-boys".
"Is that all?" asked Rian.
"Yesss", hissed Lily, "I hate servants getting underfoot".
"What about a lady's-maid?" asked Rian. Lilly surely needed one, she thought.
"Uhm, yes", replied Lilly, twitching her nose at Rian's smell. "But she must be human, not an elf."
Before Rian had time to take offence, Lilly added, "No more elves here. No mirrors, no singing, no drinking, no coming upstairs unbidden, no talking with outsiders. Be discreet, Rian, be DISCREET!"

[Lotesse]

(pics of Viv's necklace & dress, but Viv doesn't look like that model; Viv's a young Bacall w/ dark hair)

http://www.maineantiquedigest.com/images/1195gem2.jpg

http://www.style.com/slideshows/fash...WAY/00360f.jpg

As the afternoon wore on, and the six-o'clock hour loomed nearer, the Orrodel household was stirring and buzzing with preparations for the evening's Arch Chancellor meeting.

Viv wasted no time getting prepared. She tugged a beautiful little black dress over her head, and snapped one of her favourite diamond and mithril necklaces round her elegant, slender neck, then quickly brushed her tousled hair and splashed cold rose-and-MorgulValeflower infused water on her face, to freshen up. Throwing a few favourite belongings in her big black traveling bag, she slung her strappy shoes over her shoulder and ducked out of her room, to see how the rest of the "family" was getting on.

Viniglaen sought out Lilly; the young wraith wanted to see her "cousin" in private for a moment for a little "sisterly" advice; Viv was a bit nervous about this Arch Chancellor thing.

[Gordis]

Lily laced her golden sandals nervously, still disturbed by a lingering elf-stench in her nostrils, listening to Viv.
"Morgoth's pelt, what are you trying to say, Vivvie? Why are you so nervous about this Arch Chancellor thing?"