What Some Call Madness (Strange)

[Ignotus Everto]

Winter 4th, 512AV

In all affairs, an appearance of usefulness went a long way. Ignotus Everto had, of course, rendered his little service to Sahova during the attack on it, but to stop there would be a disservice to himself. Now that he had a few days to himself, the Nuit decided he wanted to broaden his skillset a little, in addition to ingratiating himself to the wizards here. How fortunate then that he possessed exceptional skill in a relatively uncommon magic. Better yet, there was another who wouldn't care that it happened to be Hypnotism.

Ignotus did not like to reveal that particular talent, but in this environment it was better to be an expert in an unsettling magic than to be pretty all right at "safer" ones.
With that in mind, the walk to Grombard Shrag's laboratory wasn't a particularly tense one. Sure, the interrogator had a reputation for knowing almost everything just by looking at someone's pen, but Ignotus was divulging his most valuable secret as a prerequisite, and none of his plans had any impact on Sahova.

Eventually he arrived at an iron door in dire need of some spring cleaning, with the characters "5-Q" etched across the top. Finding no bell or knocker (or handle, for that matter), the Nuit shrugged, put on his most cordial smile, and walked in.

[Strange]

Silence. Not even the sort of echoing, living silence of the Caverns he had arrived from but a haunting silence. The room he entered was long and white. There was no trace of the Caverns here. This could have been any room above ground. Itcould have been a hospital ward too. It had beds. It had patients. Eerily silent patients. Some were still, unmoving with vacant, lifeless eyes. Others seemed full of life screaming silent screams occasioanlly interrupting the silence with the soft sound of girating blankets and the occasional tug of leather restraints.

The only other being not in one of the beds aside from Everto was a tall, thin gentleman. He wore a healer's robe and a gaunt expression. As Everto entered the man turned peering down a long, hooked nose. He assessed the intruder for many long moments before turning back to the patient he was standing beside. The patients blonde hair and scales identified her as a Konti. The girl's mouth moved animatedly but no sound came out. Not a single sound. The girl could have been dead for all of the expression her eyes held. She was limp and useless as if all of the energy she had left in her was being expended on muttering some important thing that she couldn't even muster the energy to put voice too.

“I was rather hoping for a mystery.” The man said in a lazy, drawling kind of way. His voice was of a terrible, grating pitch as well. It was a very unpleasent experience. “But you seem... rather dry.” He turned away from the girl again and began to walk towards Ignotus. “Forgive me if I make an assumption, casualty of the job, but you are seeking me. Not one of the Isle. New. Dead not new dead but not Sahova dead. Am I thinking too much or too little.” He had begun to speak faster and quieter as if more to himself.

He was starting to get a bit too close. Invading personal privacy close. He bent low peering down at the short Ignotus face to face and suddenly said, with much finality, “No. Go away.” breathing a noxious breath directly on to his face before turning away and walking very briskly away in the opposite direction.