<div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: andale mono;">Day 85, Race of Eight Winds Prelude</span></span></div><br/>Kleris nodded, looking between the sketch and Sun Tower, examining the architecture for himself.  “I figure there’s some difference between landscapes and portraits.  Less emotion I imagine, but still pretty.  And out here, I imagine it will look quite different depending on the sun and time of day.  You seem to be making good practice!”<br/><br/>“Oh, yeah, we did go on some city adventures, heh…” he blushed, remembering some of their shenanigans, especially her first encounter with “uncle” Retario, being his bondage slave.  That felt even more naughty to think about now.  “But a flight sounds fun!  If Sharn is easier to fly in, this is a perfect opportunity.  I’ve wanted to see the towers from the air!  Well, besides from a sky-gondola…”<br/><br/>Giving Lillin a hug, he tried not to bind her up as she carried him up and over the wall!  As Lillin said, it was a good thing they weren’t depending on wings.  There was some vertigo when he looked down, but he just tried to focus ahead as they started skimming over the rampart and along the walls, skimming trees and looking down at the other students walking around.  He couldn’t really spare a hand to holding onto his skirt, and just resigned himself to the possibility of giving a split-second panty shot to any eagle-eyed students as they wooshed by.<br/><br/><hr/><br/><div align="center"><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 18pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: andale mono;">Day 86, the Race of Eight Winds</span></span></div><br/>This was it. The annual event which the city of Sharn waited for with fevered anticipation. There was not a city street to go by which didn't have banners displaying neighborhood favorites or spirited debate over the probabilities of winning. Unsurprisingly, several of Kleris' friends offered to watch together as a group: Zullinat, Rensha, Lillin, and Carson. Zull and Rensha wore green tee shirts with the image of the pegasus racer Markados IX.<br/><br/>Looking around, the districts were all a riot of colors and anticipatory celebrations, and moving from one to the next was like entering a palette-changed alternative parade of patriotism (https://www.google.com/search?safe=off&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS726US726&biw=1600&bih=808&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=siena+palio+neighborhood+parades&oq=siena+palio+neighborhood+parades&gs_l=psy-ab.3...69737.70300.0.70596.6.6.0.0.0.0.158.638.3j3.6.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..3.0.0.SS4kuDOEe2Y#imgrc=_).  “You guys got swag already?  Who’s this Markados person, are they a famous racer?”  Since their successful date, Kleris was happy to walk hand in hand, or even hugging Rensha’s arm as they strolled around and stopped for brunch.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"That's a pretty good cover actually. Let's pretend we're all on a date!"<br/>"Should we split into pairs, or the polyamorous kind?"<br/>"There's five of us here, so pairs don't work. For your sake please leave me out of your little girly games."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>“Pretend?” Kleris asked, grinning at Rensha.  He also exchanged a look with Carson, both feeling the press of competing feelings between them:  Carson’s exasperation with silliness vs their other girly game that they secretly enjoyed sometimes.  He ordered a chocolate croissant and sparkling orange juice, so he could have a “mimosa” with his girlfriend and squad.<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Alright, what's the status report on our CUMS mission?"<br/>"No word from Allainian retaliation.  Arisad must be biding his time to attack Redhurst again. Nothing else much."<br/>"I've been snooping about school's catacombs.  It's not on any maps, but sections of the catacombs have a sort of...planar subspace, akin to a very large <em>magnificent mansion</em> or bag of holding. I consulted sketchwork to see if this is anchored to Eberron, but nope. It's been with Redhurst all this time. Apparently they're well warded off, and...there's been this weird homunculus I see about, pretending to be a janitor or cleaning things up, but only once it spotted me. Otherwise it was...searching for something."</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>“Hmm, secret, warded, extraplanar catacomb.  That is definitely suspicious.  Plus some mysterious spy poking around.  I was doing my own investigation before, and a homonculus stole a five-book series on evocation magic.  I think there may be more to discover here.  I recently… discovered, I suppose, a letter my father left for me.  An explanation of what he was looking for.  It basically boils down to a multiverse conspiracy of death cults, or at least some connection between an inner circle of those worshipping the various gods of death.  That explains what he was doing looking for research materials and Redhurst.  And it makes me wonder if some of those materials or something else is hiding in the catacombs, too secret to even be kept in the school itself…”<br/><br/><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">"Oh yeah. That ring guardian you had, Kleris? It's a quori, some kind of dream-being. Apparently they're worshiped in Eberron in a nation to the east. Perhaps your Dad was there for a time?"<br/>"So err...can he hear us inside there?"<br/><em>Indeed I can.</em></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div>Kleris let Rensha examine the ring, listening to Zull’s report, when Horishkad itself spoke up.  “Yeah, um, everyone, this is Horishkad. Horishkad, this is everyone.  Apparently dad found him, or this ring, and left it to me years ago, and now it’s kind of an advisor and protection, since it can’t go home.  And it goes without saying that, like everything else in CUMS, Horishkad is top secret information.”