"Hrm... Well, it is worth looking into. Much as I want to keep her to myself, I know very little about such things. I've heard terrible things about nascent magi who couldn't get their powers under control, and I couldn't bear it if something like that happened to Enda."
Celephai reached into a shelf, pulling out a small flask of some strangely colored liquid and a pair of porcelain cups.
"Can I offer you a drink? It's not alcoholic, but it is foreign... Anyhow, anyone else moved into town recently? I haven't exactly kept a keen eye on current affairs."
She lowered her voice as to not wake up the child, looking around the room again. Not really a place for a kid, but it wasn't hers...she didn't feel like she should say more than she had.
Aside from the mages? Well, we've nearly tripled in terms of permanent population, but we're still trying to work out a census and get better numbers. We're talking to the Galena priesthood, and they should be sending someone out to set up a hospital soon. No one important I can think of. There's also...well. It's a hunch. There've been some patterns, lately. Nothing major, but I'm hearing things on the streets.
Celephai raised an eyebrow as she deftly poured a cup of the odd fluid, which went from nearly-translucent to very opaque. Passing it to Margrett with a tentacle, she filled her own, glancing over to Enda before resuming the conversation.
"Someone subversive, I'll assume? Not a surprise... everyone wants a piece, especially if it involves money. So long as there's money, there will be a criminal element. Unless you think they're religiously motivated?"
She took the cup and sniffed it, trying not to be inconsiderate to her host. Never mind that her host was an elder thing.
Possibly. There's always been a criminal element. We've been waiting for one of the organized crime groups to set up shop. I was expecting there to be a lot of bloodshed as they fought for it, something we'd have to watch for and keep a lid on. But...so far it's been quiet. Too quiet, as they say. There's...a curious lack of evidence for any organized body, and we have been hearing some things about a "Church of Zalgo." Sound familiar?
Celephai took a swig as Margrett spoke, but the moment 'Zalgo' was mentioned, Celephai nearly choked. After recovering from a coughing fit, she shook her head. "So he... he gets a church, and I don't? Pfff, figures. Ugh..." Cel took another sip of her drink, this time going down smoothly. It was an oddly fruity-tasting drink, but certainly nothing from this world produced it.
"He was... well, it's like... He's a bit like a... a red-headed stepchild to us. He only recently emerged from the void, and he's sort of got a following going on with the younger crowd. He's not particularly strong, but his servants are nothing to be laughed at. Particularly the more monstrous ones. Ah, but they'd need an incredible font of power to draw one in and control it. I don't think they're any kind of big threat to you right now..."
Margrett took a drink, pleasantly surprised it tasted good.
That's good to know. Like I said, just rumors and idle talk. Could be nothing, but I guess if you know about it then it's got at least some truth to it. She took another drink, shaking her head and chuckling a bit.
If you're willing, I might ask you to go check up on them every so often. Maybe they'll disband if you tell them their god is the redheaded stepchild of the other gods. But the other thing...that bothers me. I don't want to do anything about it yet, but just keep it in mind if you ever go out. Which you should, for her sake.
Celephai gave a sagely nod, as if she understood the whole of the situation. She did not, really, but seedy underground organizations were not an unusual thing to her anymore.
"Well, I keep Enda in after dark for obvious reasons, and she knows her way around the manholes and gutters if things get hairy during daylight hours. Well, enough about me and my life, anything new in yours? Found someone... romantic yet? I mean, I don't want to pry, but..."
Celephai was bad at conversation, to say the least.
She stared at Cel for a long moment, as if not registering the question. The confusion turned to amusement as she gave a small, slightly bewildered laugh and shook her head.
No, Cel. I have not. I don't have the time nor the inclination. Running the guard is full time. "Someone"'d just slow me down. There wasn't a trace of uncertainty about that as she finished the drink.
Celephai raised an eyebrow, in a far-too-deliberately fashion, as if she were carefully practicing a facial expression.
"I do have someone special to me. She's currently sleeping over there. Heh..."
There was a sort of a light, airy laugh, as though someone had told a very clever joke, and no one else heard it.
"Well, consider it for your sanity, if nothing else. People who obsess over problems as large as, say, a village with an ever-growing anomalous element tend to not remain sane. Seen it happen once or twice."
Celephai scoffed in mock-offense. Surely she couldn't keep track of every weird thing that happened in town.
"No promises, but if something is amiss and it concerns... relatives of mine, you shall be notified if... well, if a giant lightning-breathing reptile rises out of the sea and begins doing battle with a three-headed clockwork hydra, I shall simply assume you are well aware of it."
She refilled Margrett's glass with a deft tentacle.
"Now, for a more lighthearted question: How, exactly, would I go about finding clothes for myself? These rags are going to begin disintegrating if I do much more with them, but there isn't much of a market for... things like me."
Noted. Giant monsters of the non-squid kind are not in your job description. She gave a small nod in thanks and took another drink, thinking.
Well. If Serenity were still around town, I'd say you could meet her. Seamstress, that one, among other things. Then there's always the smith lad. He's handy with a lot of things, generally. I think Grayell had him make something a while ago.
"Hmmm... well, it's a start, nonetheless. I've been looking for some metals that might have ended up on this world, and a smith could come in handy, especially if I can learn how to move among the stars. That'd be nice, to go visit some old friends... Ah, but I'd need some charts for that, and I don't know who here would have proper star maps..."
Celephai stared, unfocused, into the middle distance for a few moments as she rambled on about celestial travel, unfortunate mishaps into the middle of suns, deserted worlds, or caustic atmospheres, before finally remembering whom she was talking to.
She watched Celephai with a sort of distanced wry amusement as she rambled on, smirking slightly.
Right...I may have to make it my concern if you want to do dangerous magic stuff down here in the sewers underneath town. Whatever happened to that thing you wanted the smith to make you, anyways? I remember you mentioning it before you left.
"It's uh... well, that's still a definite possibility. That has... certain requisite conditions to be met in this vicinity."
She was being careful to be vague. Cel had figured Margrett to have long forgotten that.
"Well, they might share some components, but I don't think you need worry about it. I've never been particularly adept at the arcane. The ways by which my predecessors travelled amid the stars didn't depend on magics like the ones we're familiar with here... Oh, but if you'd like to visit my parents when- or maybe if -I get a link to the stars going, I'd be more than glad to bring you with me!"