Interrogation continued, questions asked and answered in kind. While the matter of the owner having siblings wasn't answered, at least the cait sithe clarified that he did have a set of children. Whether by respect or awkwardness, everyone ignored the question she had asked a proverbial being, she had noticed. A strange notion entered her brain that she couldn't help but wonder aloud. "What if Amos is masquerading as the owner?" It would make sense why no one has seen him in weeks. Morticia finished her meal as she listened to everyone around her, suddenly feeling six inches tall again.

There was to be a staff meeting soon. However, remembering back to the guild hall she had lived at, the owner rarely did the collecting of new supplies himself. He assigned people to do that for him. While the grandmaster did go on certain missions, he delegated much of the work, leaving himself to the finer aspects of running the guild and maintaining the magic of the hall, or whatever it was he did near that crystal. Blinking, Morticia pulled herself back to present. "Why would he acquire fresh supplies himself? Doesn't he delegate that to staff, so he can do, I don't know, important stuff?"

However, there didn't seem to be much more information they could scrounge up here. Looking at the cat, the pixie stood and gave a humble nod of the head. "Delicious meal, thank you." Turning her attention to maid, fae and friend Morticia flashed a mischievous smile. "Well, I don't know about you guys, but I guess I'll head to the spooky glade." Morticia knew what she was doing, and it wasn't being brave, or courageous. The pixie was running, hiding from herself, her memories, and a mountain of emotion that would swallow her in despair should she peek upon it. If she could fool herself into courage, or mischief, perhaps she can keep hidden her true reasoning for being here. Murder and mystery was just a coincidental adventure for her.

"That's a possibility. But we'd have to test it though." Shiloh said, turning the fork around in her hands. "First we'd have to find this Amos, then have a little talk with him…" Cymbel had been with her long enough to know what she was implying, and it had nothing to do with having a 'little talk'. Morticia raised several good points, and he had to agree. "Yes, it does seem a bit odd doesn't it? Normally a busy man like himself would have others take care of routine tasks while he works on the more sensitive items. I suppose this adds to our knowledge of the owner being an impostor. If he wanted to ensure he wouldn't be found out, he could have chosen to involve himself more deeply to keep a close watch on things." He felt a pit of anxiety form in his stomach when the fairy woman announced that she would be paying the haunted woods a visit soon.

His friend was still mulling over something, and made a comment on the information the maid shared with them. "I see, well it would appear we should expect to suspect the one who cares more about the business than the staff. But only Dalanesca and Angela know the depths of people's hearts, so who's to say it can't be the other? I think…I know what the late owner was implying when he said the plans his murderer had in mind for his resort were unspeakable." There was a pause as she resumed. "So he wanted to make it into that kind of business… We should go see what the forest is all about. There's not much for us to search for here anymore." Again, Shiloh's face had resumed its usual stone-like expression. Her eyes weren't looking at the others, and he was wondering what she was thinking. She had always been a very careful person, even with words and how she expressed them. There was a tenseness he could feel coming from her. Perhaps she felt it safer if they all left together?

"Finding the place shouldn't be difficult…though it will be dark soon." He said the last bit with a hint of trepidation. Were they truly going to investigate a place like that with night approaching? Sure he wasn't alone, but what that staff member had told them earlier still didn't give him any peace. Rising from the table once the others had finished their meals, he bade the maid a good night and a safe evening. "I wonder if we will see 'Amos' tonight." Shiloh muttered with a wry smile. "Hope not…" He replied. What would they find waiting for them in that bloodstained copse? 

Outside dusk began to fall and the patrons were retiring for the night. A small few were preparing instead for a covert trek uphill to see the site of the spring–and where a set of murders had began. Armed with only their wits and possessions, only the moonless night would be their witness.

… Why would he want to get the supplies himself? The thought never occurred to her, but the question certainly did raise many flags once she did. It was a highly suspicious for an owner to leave like that, especially with a major event in the background, as if on trigger to be discovered. … It must have been her usual habit of trusting her client that made her not wink an eye at it, thinking it was something common, so the more talk about how odd it would be for him to be the one getting things himself, the more red her face turned as she tried to hide it in the fish.

However, the cait before them could not help but bolster a laughter. "Sorry to ruin your mindset, but it is entirely possible he would do that!" He took a moment to calm himself before continuing, "See, if there is anything about the man we all accept, is that is a paranoid one. There was one time where someone did not get enough of a single item, something that would have easily counted as back up stock, and he freaked the hell out. Ever since then, he would go out on his own to be sure everything was the numbers he hoped for, probably triple checking everything before paying up the silver for it. The bigger caution here probably more comes from how calm he was when hiring the lass here." That did not exactly take away the discomfort, but more moved it to the other worry.

Still, the others had the time to finish their meals and take off, preparing for the day ahead, leaving Jesgil with the cait chef in front of her and the worry that twisted her stomach. When the meeting was called and the staff was brought together, the announcement was made, informing them that, aside from that, they should treat the day like any other, leaving time to mourn for him after his killer had been found, stating people were investigating already. That did not stop a few eyes from digging themselves into Jesgil. A fresh face showing up after the death of their boss… who would not distrust her after knowing they had been working under a fake for some time… This meant when planning out the shifts for the night, many worked their way to ensure Jesgil would not be with the customers. After all, what if one of them fell to her hands?

And thus, she found herself on dish duty with the younger apprentice caits, scrubbing away at the dishes as the costumers flowed in and out, the head Cait looking back at her. "Ya know, I hate it when others try to do the jobs of my cats," he told her, faking anger at her. "Why don't you do something more useful than this? How about, I dunno, help track down those guys from earlier and lend the a hand?"

"But –" Jesgil was about to argue back before the cait stomped his foot,

"Those who work in the kitchen are under my direct order, so your new job is to help those people, got it?!"

A pause filled the air before Jesgil nodded, saying, "As you wish," taking the moment to try off her hands before fetching a lantern and dashing out, looking for whatever tracks the three had left. At the very least she knew which direction to look.

Uncertainty began to fill the fae as she waited for the pair to ready themselves. Morticia did not usually need possessions when traveling. If she was hungry, scrounging for nutrition wasn't difficult for creatures barely six inches tall wherever they are. What would they find up there? Would that thing, the Lord of the Forest, show itself? When they did face something such as this, what could she even hope to offer in their defense? So many questions, and not a single answer.

By the time Shiloh and Cymbel announced they were ready, the pixie's head was swimming. Yet, she would not allow herself to be swayed in any other direction, feeling she owed this to herself to see it through. In an attempt to fill the silence as they marched toward the trees, Morticia repeated her question. "So, you never answered, Cymbel, was it? Um… Are you a fae of these lands? It's just that… Everyone I meet seems to be split in half. Either they're from here or they're not. Personally… I'm not." A glance up at the dark sky, noticing the lack of moonlight.

A mischievous smile spread across her face. Should they need someone to sneak and scout, tonight was perfect as if it was made specifically for her. No moon, no glowing wings. Once before, she was in a similar situation such as this. The sudden onslaught of decades old memories caused her face to fall once more. "I apologize. My emotions… have been a mess lately. For a long time, I was not hindered. But now…" Morticia trailed off into silence. As she tried to retreat into herself, the pixie gazed up at their destination. The group was making great headway, and would not be too much longer getting there.

It was dark out, and with the light from a lantern they were able to keep themselves from tripping over their feet. Shiloh decided to stay near the middle of their party, as she wanted to be the first to know in case sometime tried to snatch him or Morticia. The other fae's voice helped break the unsettling quiet. "Are you a fae of these lands? It's just that…" She hesitated, then continued her train of thought. "Everyone I meet seems to be split in half. Either they're from here or they're not. Personally… I'm not." There was a long pause as she voiced her feelings. He had sensed that she wasn't feeling happy, despite her best efforts to hide it. It must be due to a sad memory, or perhaps loneliness? Cymbel was no expert on emotion, that was Shiloh's area. It was somewhat ironic, seeing how little emotion his friend showed compared to him.

"Yes, I am from Parvpora. Shiloh herself said she wasn't from here too, and I suppose it's become commonplace." Came his reply. Stepping over a half-buried stone, he kept the light steady and continued on. He did his best to lend a listening ear to Morticia. But just as she was beginning to unravel her tangled emotions, she stopped halfway. They continued on like this, without either of them saying a word. The night wind blew through the rocky crags and trees with a low moan that chilled his blood. Ah this reminded him of that time he had visited the forest in Koschei… With the darkness around them, anxiety filled in what he couldn't see with vivid imagination. He desperately wanted to hold onto Shiloh, but held back. Perhaps he was becoming too dependent on her. Even when he was sure she would grow tired of him or be annoyed, she never complained. Was she alright with having him hanging around her so often? He wasn't being a bother, was he?

He had improved and grown more comfortable with leaving his shell, but vestiges of his old nervous anxiety would return on occasion. For someone who had lived for decades by watching the looks on people's faces and reading the atmosphere, old habits were hard to break. He still wasn't used to not feeling otherwise. Suddenly Shiloh stopped, and he nearly ran into her. "What is it? Is something wrong?" He whispered. "It's here. I can feel the barrier. Just a few more yards ahead and we'll reach the edge." She responded. "…It's strong. Use a light source to see if there are any ways we can break through. You need specific elements to create a barrier in the first place, so if we find what's being used to create it, then we can start taking it down. That is, if those elements happen to be outside… If they're inside, then we'll have to brute-force our way in."  

It was rough, having zero moonlight to guide her eyes, needing the light of the lantern to guide her way forward However, the glow it gave only gave her room up front to aid her eyes into where she is meant to go and what not to get her foot stuck upon. The pathway was cluttered with roots and stones with plenty of ground up leaves from the feet that have walked it. However, she was not one to tell what were fresh from the trio (or duo, if the small one flew) and what came from other travelers. However, that was not the only trick she had to use to trace her targets.

The wind was still for a moment as her ears ridged up, giving the three prongs on the tips that hid within her dragon blood as she concentrated on her hearing. Voices were heard as she focused. One being a very small female voice, almost like squeaks from her perspective while the other was more of a male voice from an entity around her size. While the words were a bit clearer, they were not her point of focus, simply the fact that she can find them and follow. With the light  of the lantern to save her step and the voices to guide her way, she gave pace towards where she should head.

Sure enough, Jesgil would be able to find the glow of a second lantern, giving a slight silhouette on three folks, one being a tiny being: the people she sought. "There you are!" she announced, picking her pace to reach them. "I was worried you had gotten lost. Shall we be going?" Not knowing all the details, Jesgil was the first to push forward, though it took only a few steps to stop with an "Oof!" as the shield that prevented them from pushing forward rippled in front of them.

There was an underlying, overwhelming desire to lay it all out there, bare her soul to these two people she barely knew. Yet, she was completely content with the silence… Or she thought she was. So much turmoil stirred inside, Morticia was partially unable to even keep a straight thought. While the silence was somewhat amiable, she was still startled when she bumped into Cymbel, unaware that either of them had stopped.

Just as she was about to ask what kind of elements could be used, whether it be the elements of nature, or something more solid, Jesgil caught up to them. ”Wait!” Too late, the maid walked right into the shield. Ryerles chose this moment to fly from the branches above, laughing as she sat on Morticia’s head. ”That was hilarious! Do it again!” ”Hush you. Play nice.”

”About time you guys showed up. I was getting bored waiting for you. Entire perimeter is locked tight. Even from above.” With a frown, Morticia knelt and spread her hand, half burying her fingers in the ground. It had been so long since she used her natural abilities, she had almost forgotten how to use them. For a long minute, she sensed nothing.

Finally, out there somewhere, a crystal was half embedded in the ground. It was putting a lot of energy out. ”Found it.” Closing her eyes, some vines were rapidly beginning to push through the earth on the other side of the barrier. Under her control, the vines raced along the ground far beyond the barrier. They wrapped around the crystal, dragging it back toward the waiting group. However, when it got to the force field, neither vine nor the glowing, vivid green crystal was able to pass through. Morticia stood, dusted her hands and pouted. ”Now what?”

"So the woods were truly sealed? They even considered people might come from above." This bode ill for them, however they had Morticia who found what they were searching for without difficulty. However, true to their expectations–the crystal that was creating the barrier was inside. Whoever had crafted this must have foreseen this. While he and the other fairy was dismayed, the maid from the resort now joined their ranks. Shiloh however, was surprisingly less upset. "Huh, so it was inside. Smart move. But…not entirely foolproof." "What are you planning?" He asked her. It was much more difficult to follow her train of thought when he couldn't see her face well. "Digging under's likely to yield the same result as flying from the sky. The only way we can open it up is by breaking it from within, or brute force." Shiloh turned her head to Morticia, and continued. "Morticia, can you use the vine to break that crystal? Crush it to bits, and maybe that'll lower it's structural integrity so we can exploit its weakness."

"And if that doesn't work, I'll have to do this the old-fashioned way." Her voice trailed off and Cymbel didn't like what that was implying. "Let's try removing the barrier's elements first before that, please." In this exchange he learned something rather important–magic could still be used against whatever was inside to a certain degree. "It would seem this barrier only acts to separate sides. Should something be already inside, it would remain unaffected. Perhaps we should test and see if opening a portal in the barrier would be successful?" "That's something to think about. Good call, Cymbel. Still, it probably would've been better if we had come with a few hours of daylight. All this magic is making it hard for me to focus." His friend responded. She was always apprehensive when it came to handling things of magical origin. Her concerns were well-founded, as they were wont to be unpredictable and deadly. They had a few chances left before Shiloh's patience would give way to going with a 'direct' approach, and he was worried that she would scare off the others if she did so.

As they waited with bated breath, he heard the sounds of the night grow more quiet with each passing minute. It was unsettling, for him. He himself was better suited for the evening hours, but the lack of ambient sound made the night vacuous and empty. Sound was a sign of life, and without it that layer of familiarity any comfort the night would have provided would evaporate. 

It certainly was a conundrum they were facing: How do you break a crystal they had no access to? Well, a major hint was the vines bringing it towards them. However, it was not enough for it to be brought back out as the shield was layered on both sides. Still, controlling the inner vines did mean they could let mana through, which was always a good plus. Another one was a simple look at the scene.

As the air was silent except for natural ambience, one thing caught Jesgil's eye: the rustling of the leaves because of the minor winds that blew. This sparked an idea in her head. "Excuse me," Jesgil spoke up, looking at Morticia as she still had control of the vines, "but could you please lift the crystal completely into the air?" There was a moment where the fae's face questioned her thinking, but then grew serious as she did so, fully revealing the gem before them. "Good. Now how about a nice, slow rotation." Again, confusion, but did so as well. AS she did, the Draconian stepped close and leveled with it.

"Awaken, my blood, and grant me thy frost," clicked out of her lips in Draconian tongue, feeling her ears ridge up and take new shape as she felt her power flow through her.  A single hand moved up to cover her mouth before lowering down, lips parting open to reveal a bit more fanged mouth as she exhaled a wave of ice particles from her breath over the gem. The more it rotated, the more the crystal was coated until it was encased with a solid coat of ice. "Now, do as I command, thy frost." Her hand sudden opened wide, causing the ice to take shape and place many sharp edges and spikes along the outside and inside coats of ice before clenching her fist in, causing the ice to forcibly implode on the encased object. When her grip loosened once more, the particles were quick to rain back on the ground, clear ice and green crystal shards intermixed. It was not until the last shard hit the ground did she push her hand forward again, this time clearing the air she hit just moments before.

Clearing her throat, her body began to shift back to normal before looking back at the three, asking, "Shall we be going then?"

Morticia listened to the fae and his friend, nodding slowly. ”I could try.” Her lack of confidence stemmed from having never attempting destruction upon inanimate objects before. A memory sent the pixie’s mind to a battle field. Surrounded by strange creatures, her at-the-time lover was fighting off his frustrations. She had finally decided on confronting him since he was caught sleeping with another woman. Anything that got too close to the pair was impaled through the eye socket with her vines without a second thought.

For a moment, her mind was flooded with the intensity of all the emotions from that time and grief of loss. So lost she was that Morticia was actually glad when Jesgil distracted her from it all. The pixie blinked with confusion, both from grounding herself back in the present, and with the request. What was the woman up to? Taking to the task seriously, Morticia manipulated the vines. Once the crystal was elevated nicely, another odd request was made. It took some creative thinking. Settling the crystal in a makeshift vine setting, two tendrils began making it spin as if they were fingers pushing against the edges.

She kept the rotation going, listening to the odd tongue, feeling an odd sense of familiarity yet completely foreign. The ice was enchanting to watch as it coated the gem, becoming jagged and sharp. Once the loud crack of the gem and ice breaking echoed through the ground, the particles raining, Morticia released the vines, sending them back from whence they came. Jesgil tested the barrier, confirming that the crystal was indeed the powering device which kept them out. Hesitating, she wondered how important this was. This seemed like quite a bit of effort to go through just for a nice soak while she remembered times she had spent so long to forget.

”What you seek is toward the center I think. That place seemed the darkest.” ”Everyone be on guard. Our efforts are probably not unnoticed. Who knows what we’ll find out there.” Carefully, one foot in front of the other, the barefoot fae pressed onward. The silence of the night pressed upon them, increasing the eerie factor of the moonless sky in a creepy, dead forest. Their steps seemed loud, as well as Ryerles’s breath in her ear. A snap echoed through the air from ahead, causing the pixie to freeze in her tracks.