A rift of blackened energy rips into existence amidst the calming lapses of

the lake. A frill of ribbon and a hint of gloom mark the entrance of Lulu.

Her appearance is different than it once was, though slightly. Her

hair has slowly become undone, a single lock drifting between her

disinterested eyes. As the void implodes behind her, she turns to

survey the reeds near the shore. Perhaps. Perhaps not. She decides in silence to wait for another.

A split second after Lulu's entry, the familiar crackling sound announces Zoe's arrival. Sparks of blue appear around a magically created window out of which a petite human woman steps. Definitely not dressed to be on a lake, Zoe tip toes to find steady ground beneath her feet and lifts the hem of her luxurious gown. "My dear Lulu. Next time, do tell me where we are going so that I can dress appropriately," she says slightly annoyed while surveying her surroundings. Her window closes behind her as she waves it away nonchalantly.

A mess of curses, some spoken in orcish and others in the common tongue,

precedes the slinking form of the High Chieftain of the Rukhas'dul people.

The object of his ire, a simple fishing net, is clasped in his two grey

hands, themselves clenched so tightly that they are nearly whitened with

the effort. "Stinking net!" he mutters in his native tongue as he rips and

tugs at it violently.

 The mage turns to Zoe, nodding in what could almost be interpreted as a

friendly gesture. Looking back to the expanse of lake, Lulu sighs vulnerably.

"Do you ever wonder, when the end of it all is?" She quirks her

head slightly, as though fiercely debating the concept in her head.

"Not this. Not now. But, at some point, is there something to look

for.." She looks up abruptly and with a short nod to Zoe and a light tap of her staff to the wooden planks of the dock, evanesces into

a tendril of fading violet fog.

Zoe was just about to take in the serene scene of the lake, and forget for a moment that she must look absolutely ridiculous out here, when something alerts both Lulu and herself. Closing her grey eyes, Zoe disappears in a mist of crimson. While invisible to the mortal eye, both mages are still aware of their corporeal bodies and are able to communicate without saying a word. Right now, none was saying a thing but rather waiting for what prompted them to disappear in the first place.

That particular something -- or in this case, someone -- stumbled along the

dock without paying much attention to anything. Except, of course, the net.

He continued to struggle with it for a few moments before cursing again.

"Grishnakh damned!" he shouted in common, "Nothing ever work for poor Vokith."

Tossing the tangled mess into the lake, the half-orc falls to his knees and

looks outward, across the water. "No luck for me," he grunts.

Standing to the far side of the dock, lest she be in the way of a far flung

fist shake, Lulu takes in the scene with indifference. "He lies as an obstacle

Zoe. We cannot leave here so easily, nor can our actions be known. We have

foolishly bound ourselves to this fanciful notion of illusion. What does one

propose we do now?"

"There is no point in hiding, we came here for a reason and by the gods, I will not leave here until we have what we came for," Zoe replies with a sneer. "We do not need to divulge in our business here, Lulu. He's a Half-Orc for crying out loud, do you honestly think he'll double guess our reason for being at this lake?" Zoe drifts closer to Lulu. "Do not worry, it's not worth it." With that, Zoe fades into view.

As Zoe fades into view, Vokith buries his head in his hands and sobs. "World

not nice place for half-orc. He work hard, never have good luck." He continues

to sob for a few moments before he looks up again. It is then that he notices

the new arrival. Rising quickly, the High Chieftain snaps to attention and salutes. "Vokith

welcome strange person come from nowhere. Vermicio send?" he pronounces

every word deliberately, afraid to mix them up. Clearly, his command of the

language left something to be desired.

"My, what a smart creature you are," Zoe says sweetly. She had to think quickly now and adept to the situation. "Indeed, Vermicio has send me to check up on you...and the progress in our plans." Zoe, standing a proud five foot one, looks like a gnome next to Vokith but it doesn't diminish the regal air about the human mage which makes her appear larger than she actually was. "Vokith, love. Why don't we have a chat about the things you have been up to" she says while waiting for Lulu to make an appearance.

The one who was unseen remained so, her breathing kept in favor of stillness.

She would allow Zoe to handle this situation, as twas her expertise. Upon

arriving upon her own plan of action, she began to time an invocation with the

calls of the wayward loons of the evening, her whispers lost in the distant

honks.

Vokith nodded emphatically. Evidently, Zoe's little lie had worked. "Vokith report details to messenger like he told to do." Pausing for a moment, he scratches his chin. "What messenger want to know?"

Since this obviously would take a while, with Vokith being a bit on the slow side, Zoe pulls her dark locks into a French bun and brings forth a bench of stone with accompanying table. She couldn't really stand the entire time, now could she? Gliding onto the bench, she waves her hand towards the accommodations "Please, do sit down. It's so much lovelier than to stand, no?" Crossing her legs, she organizes the many folds of her red gown about her and smiles pleasantly at Vokith "I would like to know who Vermicio has on his side at this point. I'm sure you know much more than I do." Zoe looks innocently up to the Half-Orc, hoping to make him feel important. 

Feeling justified in her choice to remain hidden, Lulu watches Zoe work

with grim satisfaction. She returns to her meditation, a clenching fist

her only motion, the soft breeze freeing yet another lock of her hair.

The half-orc offers a toothy grin as he takes the seat that is offered to him.

"You nicer than Vermicio. He not good with Vokith," the Chieftain responds,

pointing at Zoe as he speaks. "Vermicio have many allies. Annale and her people

work with him. And Vokith think he have other friends, too. Dark friends."

These final words are spoken in a hushed tone, as if some of those friends were

watching even now.

Zoe leans into Vokith, mirroring his hushed tone "Dark friends? How do you mean exactly?" Zoe asks and then offers "Do you mean like, dark magic users or Drow?" Two goblets appear out of thin air and a tall flask filled with the finest spirits. "Here, have a drink," the human offers while pouring the Half-Orc a generous cup. Alcohol does loosen the tongue, no matter what the race. 

Shattering the semblance of tranquility upon the dreamy dock, Lulu takes up

a rapid stride towards shore, her appearance ghostly as her invisibility

slowly fades behind her. The moon on her staff shone brightly and as though

time were no more than a fancy of children, a moment in time passed wherein

her eyes met those of Zoe's. Let us do what we must. The last is near.

The High Chieftain took the drink, and as he sipped at it, his tongue had,

indeed, loosened up. "Vermicio have friends," Vokith managed with some effort,

"Evil people. Not drow. Drow fight Vermicio, they not want surrender. Other

friends. But Vokith not know who or why." Shaking his head, he continues,

"There many enemies. Dwarf people. Drow people. Vokith even hear Human people

fight Vermicio. Even half-orc people rise to fight Vermicio, against Vokith's order.

Zoe can't help but like Vokith...to some degree. As much as she could muster up for his race but in his own regard, he had a certain...charm. Like a puppy. As she begins to formulate her next question, she sees Lulu out of the corner of her eye and hears her words ring in her ears. Without faltering or losing her tempo, she stands to her feet "Well, Vokith...wasn't that a nice chat. Unfortunately I will have to part for now. Keep the goblets and the flask...and the bench...and the table, all yours!" she beams. "You have been of great service and I shall not forget it but for now, please excuse me." Zoe bows her head to the High Chieftain and slowly fades from view, heading after Lulu and what they have come to find so desperately. Finally, the Prophecy was close at hand.