Several weeks after the new magi sign the Charter, the Covenant is paid a visit by the Tribunal's [strike]only[/strike] senior Quaesitor, Whitburh Frithowebba.
She is short and stocky, with dark hair. She is accompanied by her raven familiar, Raedbora.
Whitburh is there for an "informal visit. I simply wish to meet the new members of Insula Canaria." She wanders the covenant for a few days (shadowed discretely by at least one of the turb) meeting with any and all of the magi who wish to interact with her.
Gavin sits on a bench in the garden behind his cottage, enjoying the new spring flowers that are just now beginning to bloom. A thrush is perched on a branch of the tree above where he sits. From where he sits, he can see the new Quaesitor walk by on one of the paths through the covenant.
"Good day to you!" he calls out to the visitor, standing and taking a few steps towards her. She's clearly a maga by her clothes, and there's only one maga currently visiting the covenant. "You must be the Guernicus maga that my man tells me has come to Insula Canaria.[sup]1[/sup] It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Gavin ex Miscelanea."
[sup]1 - Cory, Gavin's servant, has Intrigue (gossip) 2, so I figure he's generally well informed about goings on at the covenant.[/sup]
Arthur tells Angus "You should go and meet her."
"I'm busy."
"Reading books while I set up your lab. You can spare a few minutes."
"I don't know, I mean the whole thing with Nocturnus."
"You've been cleared of that."
"It still makes me nervous."
"Which is exactly why you should go."
Eventually Arthur wins the argument, and Angus emerges from his regular seclusion to come and meet the Quaesitor, though he has trouble meeting her eyes. "Madame Quaesitor, I am Angus of Tytalus."
Whitburh thinks for a minute. [color=red]"Nocturnus's filius, yes? Messy business, that." She shakes her head sadly.
[color=red]"Of course, under Tytalus rules, what happened was all proper and aboveboard, and technically legal under Hermetic law. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who don't see it that way, or refuse to accept it."
The Quaesitor gives Angus a friendly smile. [color=red]"Of course, it would help your cause tremendously to have influential people in your corner."
"Ah," Gavin replies. "The English accent is giving me away." He smiles. "I've actually been in Loch Leglean for the past seven years at Mac Gruagach covenant. I remember seeing you at the last Tribunal, though we never spoke."
"I came up to Scotland after my gauntlet down in Stonehenge mostly because I wanted to settle down, and Loch Leglean is friendly to House Miscellanea. I was in Semitae covenant for the fifteen years of my apprenticeship, and it was nice to stop moving for a while. As to why I came to Insula Canaria," he shrugs. "I suppose it was mostly for the opportunity. At Mac Gruagach I was going to be a junior magus for quite some time. Here, I have a better chance to make a name for myself."
Whitburh finds Corvus sitting outside his cottage. Corvus looks very disheveled. His hair is messed and has straw in it. There are various small scratches on his hands and face. His black cloak has some tears in it and what looks like twigs sticking out of it. Upon closer inspection the twigs look like tiny spears.
As Whitburh approaches, Crone puffs up and cawls loudly to Raelbora who does the same. They continue to do this until shushed.
Corbin and Scrymgeour are having an afternoon snack together in the open near Corbin's lab, as they do frequently while the cat works on the lab.
Corbin points "You should write that down somewhere " making a scribble gesture with one hand while he pops some fruit into his mouth.
"I won't forget. And you're wrong anyway."
"What!"
"Sure look. It'll never work laid out like that. "
"You just want it easier for you"
"Yes, for us both."
"This isn't easier for me, I'll have to walk further every time the circle is used."
"This is better. Easier, trust me. "
"Easier than arguing with you I'll grant."
"Now who's being catty. Who's that with the Raven?"
"A Quaesitor. Done any undue mischief lately?"
"She's here for you this time, should be anyway. "
"She's heading over. Keep a civil tongue please".
"Meow, purr, and all that "
Angus nods "I'm certain it would, but I got little time to socialize as Nocturnus' apprentice. Fortunately I don't know that he had many friends that might come after me declaring Wizards war, and much of my time thus far has been to focus on the education he neglected to give me. I know your legal position, but if I might ask how you feel about the matter?"
[color=red]"I thought you looked familiar," Whitburh says. (And she also speaks with an English accent, albeit a subtle one.)
[color=red]"You did well to leave Mac Gruagach when you did. It's only a matter of time before they trip up and violate the Code with the hedgies that live there."
"I never did feel like I fit with the covenant," Gavin admits. "I originally came to Mac Gruagach covenant because I heard that it was friendly to ex Miscellanea magi - which is true, of course. It has an odd setup, that's for certain. Do you really think that it's in danger of crossing a line, though? It's been doing okay for quite a few years now."
Hope will try and set up a meeting with the Quaesitor, wants to make the vis source transfer official. Tia will be piloting, and Hope made sure to eat well before hand. "Quaesitor, Whitburh Frithowebba thank you for taking the time to meet with me. Can I ask one small favor?
Whitburh scratches the back of Raedbora's head and squawks at him until the raven hops up to the edge of Corvus's roof.
[color=red]"You must be Corvus," she says with a smile. [color=red]"Congratulations on your Gauntlet, sodalis. I apologize that my duties have kept me from welcoming you to the Order previously. How is life as a Magus of the Order treating you?"
Corvus has probably seen Whitburh before, at least at Tribunal meetings if nothing else. Although he remembers her having a nasty-looking scar on her face that looks like a knife just missed taking her eye out; there doesn't seem to be a scar now.
Whitburh smiles. [color=red]"I feel that you are fortunate that your pater was as disliked as he was. I have seen too many charges levied at Tribunal that resulted were successfully prosecuted because the accused was friendless." She looksthoughtful for a moment before she continues.
[color=red]"I wonder if Nocturnus had any enemies who might resent your finishing him before they could?"
[color=red]"They have quite a few 'members' who aren't of the Order," Whitburh says. [color=red]"It's certainly only a matter of time before our wizards give theirs the secret of Parma...if they haven't already done so."
Gavin probably recalls that Mac Gruagach and Horsingas (the covenant that Whitburh belongs to) are long-time political..."rivals" isn't really a strong enough word for it. More like foes. The two covenants (as well as Crun Clach) have found themselves at odds at most Tribunals, with none of them able to gain enough power to run Loch Leglean themselves.
Whitburh is housed in one of the guest cottages for the few days that she's visiting. When Hope arrives, and is invited into the sitting room, she notices that there is not a sanctum marker on the outside door; there is, however, a temporary marker on the bedroom door. Raedbora is perched on the inner lintel, watching Hope intently with her wings spread, screeching almost non-stop until Whitburh shoos her outside.
"Its not much, I just want to make sure I have the paperwork done for transferring ownership of a Vis Source over. I've given The Bloody Coin to this covenant. Can you make sure that gets noted?
"Greetings soldales, I am well." He gestures to a seat and offers some food. "My name is Corbin and this is my friend Scrymgeour, please join us. How was your journey?"
Crone goes to the roof as well and moves up between Raedbora and the hole in the roof ( for the tree).
Corvus looks at Whitburh for a short while, tilting his head from side-to-side. Corvus likes your new face Quaesitor. The other was quite frightening. He pauses while pulling a tiny spear from his cloak. Corvus has found that being away from his parens is both scary and interesting.