Bethany stood and reflected on the past few days. Only a few days ago she knew what her lot in life would be. Since she was "of age" now, her father would have taken her in to town and basically auctioned her off to the highest bidder. Though in the name of propriety everyone called it a dowry but they all knew what it meant. Then it would be her turn to scratch out a living in the poor soil. Her best hope was that whoever she ended up with would be kinder than her father though in truth, it was hard to imagine it could be any worse. Now she was consorting with a dragon, an angel, and… well she wasn't sure exactly what Cymbel was yet. Marthaens' description of his past did help her understand a lot about the way he acted. He was, after all, only three years old and hadn't had the chance to interact with people enough for him to understand the subtleties of it all. He was still an annoying pain in her butt, but then what three year old wasn't? He was awfully good with language for his age though. She'd have to ask him about that… Marthaen was speaking and she winced and shook her head even as she smiled.

Wait. You're a dead angel?" He asked Alistar. "You don't *smell* dead. You smell  awfully strange though." Then he turned to Cymbel, "You smell strange as well though neither of you smell as bad as her." He turned to Bethany, "Did you wallow in something before I found you?"
For a moment her eyes flashed with anger but there was only simple curiosity in his question and gritting her teeth she repeated over and over, "Three years old, he's just three years old." She thought back to the stories she'd heard as a child and asked sweetly, "Marthaen? Do you like shiny things?

"Oh yes! Yes I like them very much!" He hopped up and down at the thought. "Do you have any?"

"No. But I'll bet if you fly up around these mountains I bet you'll find some." She looked at the bundle that Alistar had brought back and seriously doubted that it would be enough to feed the ruby giant before her. "And if you're hungry maybe you can find something up there to eat as well, yes? Just be sure to be back before dark!

Marthaen favored her with a huge grin though in his present form it was more than a little intimidating. "Thank you Bethany! I'll be back before dark, I promise!" And he leaped into the air heading up the slope above the tree line. Truly happy for the first time in a very long while.

She looked at the other two, stating the obvious, "We're going to have to keep this all as simple as possible. If this whole performance lasts any longer than a few minutes I'm afraid he'll get distracted and wander off. I like your basic idea Alistar, " She made a mental note to come back to this angel of death thing. That announcement had made her skin crawl. "What do you think, Cymbel? I'm afraid my experience with acting, both performing and watching is limited to exactly none. You both have seen many wonderous things I'm sure." Her eyes sparkled at the thought. "This is actually my first time being away from home except to pick berries and gather wild herbs. It's funny. For years I've dreamt of the adventures I would have. Being swept away to live in a far away land. "She chuckled wryly," Never in my wildest imagination could I have foreseen all of… "She waved her hand all around her," this. 

Cymbel listened as Alistar give his take on the plan, and was pleased. Once Bethany had sent the dragon away with a distraction, he spoke his mind. "I too believe the idea to be satisfactory. As for keeping things simple, sometimes seeing is enough to make the most scrutinizing critic believe. If we are to have Marthaen play his part well, perhaps I could assist with creating a lifelike situation. I have several…years of  personal experience in the art of acting, and everything starts with having the stage set." Illusions were one of the few things he was better at, and sometimes all you needed were some well-timed tricks of the eye and a convincing attitude to pull off a bluff. This was far less stressing than what he had to go through on a daily basis back before he had left his family's house, so it should succeed without a hitch. 

The mention from Marthaen about his odd smell before he had flown off to find something that likely did not exist alerted Cymbel that he wasn't under the effects of his glamour anymore. He went silent for a long time, before he resumed speaking again. "Picking berries and wild herbs…that doesn't sound half bad. I wouldn't mind such errands if it meant I could spend time away from home." Hearing Bethany's fantasies of adventuring far from home made him smile halfheartedly at how honest and simple they were. "If one were to ask me, I would dream of living in a quiet and peaceful place–away from the busy streets and cities." His tone was now somber and empty, having returned to the state of stiff formality it once held when he had lived under the authoritarian hold of his father. "Not all things that are wondrous are joyous, or good. Sometimes the simple things are what give a man happiness." 

It was time for him to admit the obvious and address what the other two were likely asking themselves already. "…I am what some refer to as 'the fair folk', or the common term 'fairy'. Yes, it is apparent that I do not have wings. The words 'fey' and 'fairy' are broad terms which generalize a wide variety of creatures and beings outside of the well-known small, flying winged sprites." Not wanting to continue talking about himself, he shifted the topic back to the task at hand. "I am willing to play the part of the hero; the role is simple. I can cast an illusion on a scale large enough to make everyone appear to vanish while enveloped in a shimmering distortion, drawing attention away from our true locations as we discreetly exit stage left. We will need to ensure our key player is properly coordinated, lest it all fall apart at the seams." Ah yes, their ruby red dragon. Words seemed to confuse him often, so Cymbel considered using visual guidance via his illusory skills. Even if Marthaen didn't fully grasp the idea of pretending and acting the opposite, he would react to something he thought was real.

He felt guilty for blindly leading him along, but he'd rather not wait for the villagers to find a real dragon-slayer to finish the job when in truth the dragon was simply inept at reading the atmosphere. They'd have him dead before he could even get the chance to explain himself. Once it was all over they would explain this to him in detail, but for now it was best to keep it a secret. Angry crowds armed with torches and pitchforks were very difficult to persuade and placate.

Alistar quietly ignores the comment about not being dead. Angels were always dead, they just looked alive. He turned towards the two and smiled childishly. "Well, I guess it's settled then! Mr. Cymbel, you'll be in charge of stage direction and illusions. Ms. Bethany, you are in charge of making sure that Marthaen doesn't destroy everything. You are really good at that. And I'll go back up to the tailor and get costumes made! Ohhhhhhhh this is so exciting! Oh, and one more thing. Hmm…….no, not there………..maybe here?……..There it is!" Alistar exclaimed cheerfully as he pulled a mask out of his bag. "I've enchanted this mask to change to what you where. So, your mask will match the costume! Please, try not to break it while I'm gone. Oh! Ms. Bethany, I'm sorry, I forgot all about the dress they were making for you. I'll go get the costumes ordered and bring back the dress. Bai bai!" Alistar said quickly before running off.

[Sorry guys. Got some RL interference right now. I'll try to reply tonight or tomorrow. I'm having a great time. BBS!]

Bethany watched Marthaen and Alistar as they each left on their "missions." Both seemed child-like in their own way, though Marthaen was easily the biggest child she'd ever heard of. She was more than a little worried about this little quest they were about to embark on. Although he was certainly not as flighty as Marthaen she wondered how stable Alistar would be, though he did seem excited at the chance to play his part. In the end she didn't really see any choice but to go through with this little play they were about to put on. They needed some way to remove the idea that Marthaen was a threat and not just for his sake. Three year olds could throw EPIC tantrums and when they were hundreds of feet long and could breathe fire… she shuddered at the thought of what he might do in the heat of the moment. Just by saving her he'd proved he wasn't interested in hurting people, or even just allowing them to be hurt. But he was certainly capable of it even if only accidentally.

She turned to Cymbel, "One thing I'm not comfortable with is having Marthaen pick me up. He could've done so easily by getting me down from the cart instead of carrying me in it and from his description of how things went with his flying into a castle I'm not sure he's all that familiar with using that giant body of his. Also we should probably do all of this outside the town. I'm not sure he'd fit in the streets between houses and we don't need to destroy half the place to make all this work. Hmmm, it'd be best I think if we "forced" him to never bother that particular spot again. He's bound to be spotted flying around if his home's as near as he says it is and we don't want them calling for help from someone else. Either way that goes that wouldn't turn out well."

"As for me, Marthaen's probably right about my smell, though he could be a little more diplomatic about it." She muttered,  "I'm going to look around for a stream to bathe in. Would you mind seeing what Alistars' idea of food is? I saw a large pot inside so hopefully we at least have the ingredients for stew. Hard to go wrong with that. Even I can make stew."

Cymbel nodded in understanding. "Yes, I can see why that would be a problem. His full-body dexterity is…lacking. However not to worry, I think I have a solution that will allow us to circumvent the need to have him snatch you up. It will involve several illusions and precise timing, but if done right it will be just as convincing with none of the hazards." He paused before explaining what he had in mind. "During the act, when he swoops down at you your natural instinct would be to scream. But instead of having him take you, I can substitute you for an illusion. Here's where it becomes complicated. One scenario would be to have you walking with a shawl around you, and for him to suddenly appear to take you away. But before he does so, you would let out a scream–signalling me. Right after that, you drop to the ground and duck while I deploy an illusion of you still standing upright–making you look like part of the ground in the process. As soon as Marthaen comes down, I then create an illusion of you being caught in his claws. While everyone is busy being focused on the sky, that will be your time to escape out of sight leaving the shawl behind to give the impression that you were taken. Once that part is done, then the plan will go as Alistar stated with me and Marthaen having a mock duel."

It was tricky and the timing of the actions were critical, but he knew he could do it. The sheer scale of the illusion would tax his capabilities to where he wouldn't be able to maintain his usual glamoured appearance, but that was fine. The townsfolk had already seen him as is, which gave him more power to focus. "Do you have any questions or concerns about my suggestion? Even if the performance is supposed to be believable, we can't have any casualties or collateral damage. Although I may be a healer, I'd rather not have to put you or anyone else through the painful process of healing when prevention would be a better cure." Just because magic healed wounds didn't mean it would numb the pain that came with the healing process. Unfortunately, that was how it went. If he had a way to dull the pain, he would have used it when he patched the two up last night.

"Afterwards we might try to convince Marthaen to relocate to a new area as a short-term solution. A more permanent resolution would be to work out his personal misunderstandings and aim to have him better socialized to better blend in with people. All which would take time." No matter where he went, seeing a large dragon would be a red flag for any form of civilization. Since this was a rural area there wasn't enough manpower to organize a hunt, but if Marthaen had flown over a major city… To put it lightly, he would have to worry less about a few angry mobs and more about fully mobilized armies or mercenaries with the intent to subjugate. 

Alistar skipped childishly back to the tailor, holding a basket as to hold the items. 'Maybe I should've told them that I forgot about all the herbs and spices that I needed. Whatever, it won't hurt them, I'm getting them now anyways. But if they touch the food before anything else I'll kill them.' Alistar thought happily. He entered the tailor. "Hello? I've come to get the dress I asked for." Alistar stared at the man behind the counter. "Of course, wait here for a moment." The man disappears in the back for a moment and comes back with a plain white dress, with red and orange trimmings. "Thank You! Oh, and I have a few more orders." Alistar described the two costumes and got a weird look from the tailor. "Those sound a bit flashy. But hey, you're paying, so I don't care. Thank you for your service ma'am." Alistar smiled cheerfully before walking out, he slams his fist into the side of a building and cracks the wall. "Idiots." Is all he said as he buys the few spices he needed and made his way back to others.

Bethany considered the plan for a moment. "I think it's brilliant in it's simplicity and simple is something we're going to need. I know Marthaen doesn't like hurting anyone or anything so I'm sure he'll do his best to avoid that. The mock battle need not take very long, actually the less time the better." She shuddered when he mentioned how his healing worked. She had been very near to losing consciousness when he'd healed her but even in her fog she could remember that sharp agony and it wasn't something she ever wanted to endure again. "He's already learned the whole introduction speech and spewing flame in the air. If we use that again I think he'll be ok. Then, as I understand it, after he's defeated Marthaen and I will be hidden by some sort of magic or other leaving you and Alistar to deal with the villagers. Will he be able to fly off under cover or do we need to stay in place until dark and then walk away? If the latter's the case we should do this around dusk. The bit with the flame will be all the more spectacular then anyway. Frankly I'm a bit nervous about Alistar too. He seems every bit as twitchy as Marthaen, more actually, and I find that whole "Angel of Death" thing un-nerving. I'm still not sure what to make of that. Do you suppose he's dangerous?

Marthaen was busily searching for shiny things when his rumbling stomach reminded him of his second objective: Food. His sharp eyes found a few targets but the easiest mark was in a large clearing. A rather sizable bear foraging for food before winter sat in. She'd be fat and make a satisfying meal that would hold him over for several days. He circled once then began his dive aiming as always to finish it in one swift blow. No suffering. Not for the first time he wished he could be more like bears. Oh they'd eat meat given the chance but they apparently could live on a diet consisting mostly of nuts, berries and the like. But as he neared the clearing a cub came running t'ward it's parent. Her head looked back and saw cub and Marthaen at the same moment. She roared running t'wards certain doom, desperate to defend her young. Marthaen pulled up as hard as he could barely avoiding hitting them then swinging back out away from the mountains face. He could've taken them both of course. She wouldn't have had a chance against most any dragon, much less a ruby of Marthaens size, but there was no way he would kill mother and child. Once more he wasn't sure why he knew it was wrong. He just did.

Sighing he resigned himself to going hungry again and turned back to the small cottage the little group was calling home for the time being. He spotted Alistar making his way back and since there hadn't been any food or shiny things up here he thought he may as well meet him there. "No food. No shiny things. Stupid mountain." Finally landing with a thud and sliding down the road several hundred yards down the road near the cottage. This time it didn't hurt. In dragon form he was indeed hard to injure and often wished he could stay that way but… shrugging off the thought he stood and said "human me." As he neared the rest he said, "clothes" being very careful to concentrate as he did so. He'd had several "wardrobe malfunctions" before…

Alistar had been absent-mindingly think about what he should make. "Oh! I could make something different for everyone. They have all got to have different eating styles. Especially Marthaen, he could eat the whole village If hungry enough. Hmm, I could make a broth with the excess of meat, and the bread could be on the side! With the herbs I got it should be filling and quite enjoyable if I make it right!" Alistar stated to himself, hoping no one was around to think he was crazy. Though, he could barely deny that fact, considering that he could tear a city apart if he was angry enough. "It's settled then, I'll make a sort of soup with meat and bread for a side, it should be filling and taste good as well. My mission is set, time to prepare!" Alistar exclaimed with a smile. He spots Marthean down the road and waves. "Hey Marthaen! I have an idea for food today! Wanna go over it with me?" Alistar yells while running up to meet him.

"For arranging both you and Marthaen's disappearing act, it should be easy. In your case once the people are sufficiently distracted you can easily run off, but for him it might be harder. Since creating an illusion of a fallen dragon would be too draining and backfire, if we have him fly away and then transform back into a human once he's out if sight it should suffice. And having this all take place before dusk is an excellent proposition. People won't be walking around outside for long and it will lower their chances of accidentally seeing something they shouldn't see." The last thing they all needed was to break the immersion. Once that happened, it would take more than all the charm and suggestion in the world to fix that mess and that would seal any chances for recovery.

When Bethany brought up Alistar's claim to be an 'angel of death', he shrugged. "Well, I suppose he's just odd. Perhaps swinging a bit too wildly across the emotional spectrum, but as long as we don't provoke him things should be fine. Even if he truly was an agent of the Reaper, what can we do?" He understood her misgivings about the strange child. The boy seemed a bit too happy about things when he was excited, and not in a very comfortable way. He was sure he had seen that extreme polarity somewhere, and it wasn't a fond experience. Hearing the crimson dragon returning from his fool's errand, he saw that Marthaen did not look pleased. Hopefully that wouldn't affect his cooperation in the act later. "Oh, he's back. And looks like Alistar's returned as well." Hearing a loud groan from his stomach, he clutched it in embarrassment. "…We should probably eat soon. I doubt any of us will be able to focus with empty stomachs."