((already thought of that. I'd bring whatever I could carry in one trip and present rather elegantly, and then add as a bonus that I'll be sending to him free of charge some fine glassware for his lab by way of Redcap, and have a shipping receipt or acknowledgement notarized by Korvin, and then pay the Redcaps for shipping. But if we're all in a huryy I could make multiple teleports, he's good at the spell. If there's a gate that they have access to, I could always use that, but Alexei would have to be informed of this.))
There isn't a portal at Phoenix, which was kind of the point to the AC that Abigail gave Alexei.
We can go round and round on this, and it seems as if we are. You decide what you're going to do, and I'll respond to it. If you want to make 10 or 15 trips back and forth to Phoenix to transport some glassware, so be it. I might be exaggerating the number or not. I don't know how lavish a gift you want it to be... See where I'm having difficulty?
You tell me specifically what Alexei is going to do and then I will respond. Be decisive.
((Yeah, we're definitely going round and round, I don't how I can be more specific. He'll teleport there with the chirurgeon's kit and promise a shipment of fine glassware to be delivered by Redcap, he'll have the notarized shipping receipt and the contents as well. When he has those things (if the glass isn't ready he'll still stipulate what he wants in the order) he'll be on his way. If that's good, I'll teleport outside the walls whenever.))
Ok, you said you'll Leap whenever. So Alexei collects all the items he wishes to present just after noon the next day, and Leaps with the Arcane Connection to a spot not far from the main gate of Cijara. The midday sun beats down upon Alexei as the temperature hear is much hotter than Mons Electi. The midday sun is high in the sky with nary a cloud in sight. Most of the landscape is grasses which have gone dormant from the summer heat. Within the walls are a vineyard, and grape vines have run a bit wild. and are growing over the wall. There is a guard shack but no guard is present.
Cijara is another name for Phoenix, by the way. I should have made it clear.
Off in the distance Alexei can also see a large manor house, larger than the manor house of Mons Electi.
Alexei loosens the collar on his clothes. "Beastly heat..." he debates on casting a spell on himself to ease the heat, but decides not to just yet. "Now...she said something about the grapevines?" seeing the grapevines he wanders over to them and looks at them and then around himself. Finally seeing no one else he shrugs. 'There are stranger things still...' and speaks to a cluster of grapes. "Please tell the guards that Alexei Von Kroitsau is here to speak with the father of Abigail, and he bears a gift." He then waits and looks over at the guard shack and to any gate that might be nearby.
A noise comes from the grapevine, as if you woke it from a deep sleep. The leaves sway and shiver a bit."Eh? Que pasa? Es hora de siesta." As if that explained everyhing Alexei can clearly hear the sound of snoring coming from the grapevine on the wall.
"Blast..." he mutters. "Do you speak Latin?" he asks the grapes and then shakes his head as the utter silliness of the situation descends upon him. After a few moments he laughs, muffled at first and then to full out guffaws where he has to actually lean on his staff to keep from falling over. It was perhaps the first time he's laughed since he found out about Mufarrj's kidnapping, and he was over due. Finally he wipes a tear from his eye and straightens up and adjusts his clothes. He lets out a shuddering breath to regain his composure and has one last snorting laugh before he speaks again, hoping that perhaps the vines knew some French.
"Hello! I am Alexei Von Kroitsau, I have business with the Magi within!" he says slowly in his German accented French.
As Alexei calls out in French, he hears a horse and wagon pulling up behind him. The cart, which is fully loaded and covered by tarps, is driven by a middle-aged man and a younger man (maybe late teens or early twenties).
"Salve, magus," the older man calls out in excellent Latin. "How may I be of service?"
Alexei turns at the sound and smiles wide, perhaps trying to conceal the fact he was just talking to a grapevine.
"Hello! Do you know the Magi within? I would speak with one, he has a fair daughter named Abigail. Or perhaps the one known as Prospero? Though I do not think they are the same person. My name is Alexei."
The older man smiles as he hands the reins to the younger one and climbs off the wagon. "Of course I know the magi who reside here. It is my incomparable wares that allow the magi to do what they do here." He leans in to whisper conspiratorially. "Just between you and me, they would be lost without my services."
"Ah, that would be Ra'am, who is most definitely not Prospero."
"Ah, how rude of me. I am Abdul al-Faisal, at your service." Abdul graces Alexei with a deep sweeping bow at he introduces himself.
((Did Abdul recognize the Vintner that Alexei was speaking to when he arrived?))
Alexei nods in return to Abdul. "Well my good Abdul, we are well met indeed. I am on an urgent mission to rescue a dear friend of mine." he looks a moment at Abdul wondering if perhaps he knew him. He shrugged, it was worth asking. "His name is Mufarrij ibn Walid. A great warrior...perhaps you've heard of him? He was kidnapped by a being that seeks my capture as well, and I was told that I might find information here that can help. So if you can take me to them I'd be grateful."
The pair travel up the courtyard to the manor house/small castle. As Alexei crosses the wall he feels the tell-tale effects of an Aegis.
((I'm guessing that's a no, then.))
((Also, does Abdul recognize Mufarjj's name?))
Before they leave, Abdul addresses the Vintner who had been speaking to Alexei when he pulled up. "Excuse me, but would you please let the magi know that they have company?"
He walks next to Alexei before the cart, as his son Yasser drives behind them.
((Sorry!))
Abdul did not recognize the Vintner, but he knows that only a few on the Cijara side speak. He recognizes Walid as an able administrator under the Almohads.
The Vintner makes some noises of being reawakened and says, "Si." It then promptly goes back to snoring, so Abdul can't be sure that the message was relayed. Although there is a lot of murmuring going on from the non-speaking Vintners, leaves rustling as if the wind is blowing them, but there is no wind.
Alexei looks back at the vines. "That's an interesting...well I don't know what you'd call it. I'm glad all grapes can't talk, they might be quite upset with me for having drunk so many of their cousins and family!" he laughs at his little joke. "So you bring fine wares for the magi? Tell me, this Ra'am, I brought him a gift, do you think he'd appreciate some fine chirurgeon's tools and lab equipment? I wasn't certain what to bring, but I heard he has been studying the physic of the body; an excellent area of study."
Abdul looks distinctly uncomfortable as he tries to find the best way to answer. "To be honest, Alexei, I have never seen Ra'am use tools when healing, but only his magic. Chirurgy is more the purview of the doctor Estebahn. I am sure that they are very fine tools, however."
Alexei seems uperturbed. "Understood, tools like these aid in the study, a Magus has his arcane craft with which to heal. I study quite a bit the human body, and the body revealed. Plus there shall be more coming." he looks at the cart and his son. "How far afield do you travel good sir? I have some crates still to be delivered. Do you deal with men in Red caps at all?"
Abdul smiles. "My travels take me all over Iberia, to covenants both Roman and Reconquista. From Victrix to Barcelona, from Interritus to Sader. The people of your order are quite generous, and are ever desirous of new and wondrous things. For which I and my family are eternally grateful.
"I do have some knowledge of the Red Caps of your Order, and have from time to time been honored to provide transportation should be be headed in the same direction. We are both grateful for the company, I think."
Alexei seems to be impressed as they continue their journey to the magi's home. "Well then you might be asked to help deliver the remaining portion of the gift. This was done rather short notice, I didn't have much tiome to makre preparations. Is Ra'am far?"