Egriel notices Calahel's hesitation with amusement.

"It's simple, really." he says matter-of-factly as he peruses over the various assortment of food, "Just place in your mouth and chew."

Winking to Calahel, Egriel sits down with his food and drink, awaiting Thommariel's blessing.

Thommariel kneels down and whispers a prayer for blessing the meal. After that he looks up and say "Now brothers and sisters, let us begin". He smiles again and helps himself to some cheese.

Ashviel bends over the table, serving herself with cheese, bread and some fruit. She seems to be as hungry as Phinael and concentrates upon her meal and her cup of tea.

In the middle of the meal, someone knocks on the door.
Thaël, busy with a spoon of dripping honey, looks up, very surprised. Then he gazes over at Thommariel, licking the sweet stuff from his fingers, rising slowly to prepare himself for the Michaelite's command.
"Should I open?" he asks.

Pulling out his dagger, Egriel slices off two pieces of bread. On one slice he cuts and places the various fruits and cheese with some honey on the side, then puts the other slice of bread on top of it. Using both hands he picks up the amalgamation of food and takes a bite.

"Mmmmm.....", he winks at Calahel as he chews. He stops in mid-chew when there's knocking at the door, but continues unabated when Thaël arises. Waste not, want not, he thinks, taking another bite.

While the others are dealing with the problem how to eat the cheese, Carniel steps into the room. Taking a surprised glance at the Engels putting mysterious yellow things in there mouths he clears his throat.
"Sorry, that I was away. I was inspecting the defense-systems of the covenant". He makes an excusing gesture.

*

As it knocks on the door Thommariel looks up from his meal. After Thaël's question for permission to open the door he nods "Yes brother, please open the door". He stands up.

*

Egriel pauses in mid-chew as Carniel enters, before washing the food down with his drink. Thinking for a moment, he reaches a silent decision with a mischevious glint in his eyes. Getting up from his stool, he gestures to Carniel's sword.

"By you and Thommariel's leave", Egriel inquires, "could you possibly activate your flame-sword and hold it in a position that runs parallel to the ground?" He smiles shyly, "I've had a desire to do this for quite some time now."

*

Phinael, lookind around in surprise at Egriel's strange wish, frowns slightly, ignoring the matter as long as no one else reacts.

Thaël opens the door, allowing a tall, powerfully built woman with dark eyes, complexion and hair to enter the cella.
She bows at the Engel, entering the room in the same motion and comes to a halt before the small table.
"Soror Aramia," she introduces herself. "I am the Em of this Covenant." Looking around at the piled-up belondings of the Engel, she edges sideways to find a place to sit down. "Uh... I'm sorry to interrupt your meal, but I found it neccessary to wedge my honourable duty into my cramped schedule." Unable to sit down, she remains standing. "So, first of all, I want to welcome you to our Covenant. And," she adds, smiling, " I hope the meal is up to your expectations. We rarely feed heavenly guests, so you'll have to do with the humble food of us mortals."

*

As the Em enters, Egriel gestures in dismissal toward his previous request.

"The food is good." he nods reassuringly, "And it's a welcome sight after a long flight." He sits down.

*

*

The Em settles herself, kneeling close to Thommariel on the wooden floor, clearing her throat with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Never mind, I've been sitting like that for all my apprenticeship. And if it's comfortable for the heavenly ones, then I will not suffer as a mere mortal."
Looking around, she nods to each member of the host, starting her speech in the process.
"You know, I don't like to beat around the bush. Certainly, we've got better things to do. So, I'll get right at it. We've got some strange occurances here, which threaten to disturb the peace of this place. We're specialized in song, and music."
She nods at Ashviel who listens intently.
"But there do seem to be melodies that unhinge some people. Unfortunately, we've got a guest here who seems to enjoy such tunes. Wasn't like that all the time. First he produced some rather beautiful music, but then... However, I think I should show you what he wrote."

The Em produces a bundle of tightly written pages, covered with lines, notes and written text.
"Yes, he writes. But I don't think he'll be subject to jurisdiction in that state of mind that he's in at the moment. He started scribbling this when we had him back in shape."
She hesitantly hands the leaves to Thommariel, looking over at Ashviel and Egriel.
"So, I thought it would be my duty to hand you over the notes. So I did, and the rest is up to you, I think. If you wish to see him, then everyone here knows where you can find him. If there are problems, please don't bother to ask. This guy's history is unknown to us. We found him in a storm, three weeks from now. He doesn't talk, at least nothing useful."
She looks around.
"Questions?"

*

*My apologies.* Egriel responds in mind, *That was not my intention.*

He sits quietly as the Em explains the situation, eyeing the papers with curiousity.

*

Before the Em enters, Carniel only could spoke the words "What do you.." and as she steps into the room he stopped to speak. He went to one edge of the room and stood there quietly, listening the conversation. Aaaah.. that.. thing... is human food, he thought.

*

Thommariel takes the papers and asks the Em: "What especially happened to your guest? Did he do or say something?"

He uses *Soul of the Fellowship* to tell to all the others, *Please, if someone have a question about our mission, feel free to ask. We are a host and I'm not the only one which have to speak in this case.* A smile forms on his lips while he speak to his siblings.

*Could you perhaps ask her, what the other strange events were, that she spoke of?* Calahel asks in mind while watching the others examining the papers. It seems that he doesn't want to speak loudly.

*

*I have none at the moment*, Egriel responds silently, *But if I may peruse over those papers? Perhaps I would have a question or two if I were more informed.*

*

He looks to Egriel and hands him the papers. "Em Aramia, what were the other strange events you talking about?" *Soul of the fellowship to Egriel*Please, take a look at the papers*

*

Ronariel listened carefully to the words of the Em. Quite suprised, he could really write. Ronariel asks Thommariel in his mind: *Sane ore insane, could insanity realy be a excuse for braking the low of the Angelic Church?!* With an slightly angry face he looks over to Thommariel.

*

The Em uneasily shifts on her legs. "Well," she starts, then slowly shakes her head. "I do not know how to begin," she admits, running nervous hands over her robe.
"I think, it first started, when the crows attacked our scarecrows out in the fields. Except, that we didn't put up any scarecrows anywhere, if you understand what I mean.
They... well, they simply moved away, all those ravens and crows fluttering and screaming about them. The templars said it was Dreamseed." Her voice drops to a whisper with the last sentence. "And the birds drove them away."

Ashviel, gazing into the papers over Egriel's shoulder, absentmindedly draws a small flute out of her satchel and rubs over the wood with her hands.
"This is strange," she says with a frown. "I think you should hear that." She looks up at Thommariel, troubled. "Should I? Might unsettle some of you."

Phinael blinks, as the Sarielite gently nudges her. "If you don't want to listen to it, cover your ears. Might get the hooboos into you."

Thaël, kneeling close to the Raphaelite, frowns at the Em, but says nothing. Instead, he clasps his hands in his lap and gazes over the stone floor, eyes uneasy.

*

Ronariel listens carefully with an troubled expression on his face. He thinks for himself: Dreamseed so near to an convent... is there any coherence between this incedent and the strange man the Em told us about?? Than Ronariel comes closer to take a better look at the mysterical flute.

*

"Em Aramia, if that birds dorve away the scarecrows then it seems the templars are right. Did someone try to attack the birds?" Thommariel looks to Ronariel, using *Soul of the fellowship* *Of course this man must be a heretic. But we will discuss it later!*

As Ashviel asks him for permission to use her flute he nods "We should all listen to our sister".

*

Aramia nods, absendmindedly, as it seems.
She looks at the Sarielite who draws a deep breath, puts the flute to her lips and starts to play.

The melody, starting out with shrill dissonances, keeps cutting into your ears. Disharmonies, mingled together with strange trills of high-pitched notes cause your skin to crawl. Unexpected shifts insert small, melodic, if sad passages which keep haunting your minds even after Ashviel put her instrument down.

You cannot tell how long she was playing, but she rubs her arms with violent motions, and you can see the goosebumps on her flesh.

Phinael, pressing a fist to her mouth, shakes her head.
The tall Urielite, sitting beside her, draws up his wings, as if to hide himself within them. Every single feather is ruffled, just like Phinael's. Both wear an almost identical look of shock, disbelief and horror on their faces.

Aramia softly clears her throat. "That's what I mean," she says, her voice piercing the stunned silence. "He writes stuff like that all the time." She too, rubs her upper arms. "And, that's what's giving the drudges the creeps. I really do understand they avoid him wherever they can."
Thoughtfully, she adds, "And about the Dreamseed... They tried to. The birds wouldn't let them. Kept them away, driving them away. I saw a dozen or so ravens circle our Armatura. No attacks, just... I don't know. Pushing her off, like a shepherd-dog would do with sheep." She shakes her head again. "In all my life, I've never seen such a thing before..."