[center][h2][b]Ophelia[/b][/h2][/center]

Ophelia nodded along intently to Gerlinde's explanation while she consulted the messengers, then stood up and faced Gerlinde directly. She took a brief moment to formulate her thoughts before she spoke, idly rubbing the queer red gem in her hand before walking over to Gerlinde and offering an outstretched palm with the gem in it to her.

"The messengers said that these gemstones can be used to enhance weapons, and this one partially shifts a weapon into the Nightmare--which gives it some measure of power for your talent with the Arcane to draw out. Neither Torquil or Farren have much aptitude for the Arcane, and my blessed blade doesn't need it... Would you like to apply it to your cane, love?" Ophelia asked, smiling gently at Gerlinde. Mad as she was, she was genuinely a useful presence that Ophelia was grateful for--and she found Gerlinde much less disconcerting than most anyway. Ophelia also made another point of looking for the Shopkeeper, and would relay what happened to them when they arrived--before asking if they knew any more about what the creature was, or about Frenzy and its causes.

[i]"These apparitions,"[/i] Ophelia thought, letting the whispers build in the cistern of her mind and flow into the Holy Moonlight Sword. [i]"what are they? How can they enter this sacred space without Paleblood? Are they... to do with Ego?"[/i]