Three
Stephen ruffled thru the stack of parchments, the pile of books, forehead knotted in concentration. He'd relocated his study to the Relic Room, so he could observe their ethereal captive as he went thru the information Jade had provided.
Cloak hovered at his elbow, dividing its attention between the black cloak and Stephens random muttering.
He paused, occasionally, to tap notes on his MacBook, and once, even left to retrieve some volumes from Kamar-Taj.
The black cloak kept itself tight to the shadows, but was obviously observing, intently, everything that occurred outside its prison.
Day melted into evening, then, into night.
Stephen had turned on a desk lamp, turning his study area into the only light spot in the giant room.
As the shadows encroached, the black cloak became bolder. It crept up, close to the glass, focused on its captors, its edges resting against the transparent barrier, like claws.
Stephen was so absorbed in his research he didn't notice the menacing turn in its demeanor until Cloak gave him a nervous poke, then pointed.
Stephen turned his attention to the creature, came to his feet, slightly alarmed by its now ominous behavior.
'I did remind you how dangerous that is,' Wongs voice came, from the dark at his back, startling Stephen so much he jumped, jerked around.
Wong merely stared, eyes narrowed into a glare.
He stepped closer, carrying two plates of food, one of which he offered to Stephen.
Stephen nodded, slowly, eyebrows puckered into a contemplative scowl as he accepted the plate.
'I've researched everything Master Jade provided, as well as a few other references,' Stephen informed Wong, as they cleared a spot at the desk to eat.
'What have you concluded?' Wong asked.
Stephen chewed his lip, briefly, before replying,
'I think we need to speak with it.'
Wong didn't react, but, then, Stephen didn't expect him to.
After a moment, however, he wondered,
'Why?'
Staring at the black cloak, Stephen said, quietly,
'I have a few questions I need answered.'
The black cloak swirled around the perimeter of the case, diffused, then reformed.
Its manner was agitated, but focused on its three guards.
Wong looked at Stephen, skeptically,
'Seriously?'
'Yes,' Stephen nodded, emphatically.
'You believe this creature capable of communication? That it will understand, and offer coherent responses?'
'Absolutely. I have no difficulty communicating with Cloak. Its replies are very seldom unclear, and I don't see why this cloak would be any different.'
'It could lie.'
Stephen shook his head,
'I don't think so. That's a human trait.'
He flicked a look toward Cloak, clarified,
'I don't think beings like this are capable of anything but truth.'
Cloak squared its shoulders, proudly, gave a tiny nod, affirmation.
Wong gave a slight grunt, which Stephen took to be agreement, as they settled down to eat.
'I want Master Jade to be here. I found written text of its native speech, but, according to what you've told me, she's already fluent in pronunciation and vocabulary.'
'You don't think it understands us?'
Stephens attention shifted to the black cloak, and he narrowed his eyes at it, growled,
'Oh, I'm quite certain it understands us. I just don't want there to be any confusion.'
The black cloak narrowed its collar, in response.
Cloak came in, very close to the glass, and leaned toward the black cloak, its hem edges raised, balled up like fists. A warning, or, possibly, a threat, maybe even both.
The black cloak gave its collar a toss of indifference, spun away, a casual dismissal.
Wong and Stephen exchanged a baffled look, not at all certain how to interpret the antics of the being.
'I'll ask Master Jade to join us, tomorrow morning,' Stephen decided, 'In the meantime, I'm going to form a second Curtain Of Night spell around it, then get some sleep.'
I apologize to all my peeps for the long delays in updates! I've rather been occupied with art, so it'd be great if you all would have a look at my latest work. A super detailed portrait of Stephen and Cloak. It's instagram, LadyStephanieStrange. Now I've finished that, I'll hoping to get a bit quicker at getting going on this season of Perspectives From A Cloak! I REALLY APPRECIATE the feedback from you all! It's been fun seeing the different responses to the black cloak. It's fate will be decided in the nest installment!