"Yeah, it's me. And I know, why yer think I'm standing over here yelling like a fool? Don't worry, I ain't trying to sneak past them, I'm way too out of practice for your stuff. Also, I got company."

He lowered his voice a notch and nodded at Cara. "Yep, that's her."

"Here, let me come out--" She was not about to take down a full set of wards for Jochy's sake, not until she knew why he was here. Although she had her suspicions already.

She skirted through the gate and down the path to them. Cara took her aback for a moment, but she soon figured out what the woman's expression meant. "Hallo, have you come from Cnoch-na-Niall? I thought you'd gone back to the mainland."

"He did," Cara replied. "But we got pulled through by some sort of supernatural creature on Samhain. Hello," she said cheerily. "I'm...er...called Cara. I'm a professor at the University in Mercer."

"It is as she says" Jochy sighed. "We were at the mainland, I had no plans to drop by this unannounced. But, as matters would have it there was an incident at Cnoch na Niall which... well, it's as she said. We were pulled there, and it ain't as easy getting back. So I thought that while I was around I'd drop by and see if there was any progress. Or word if it was as all possible. Nialla and Seth says hello by the way."

"I'm Morgana, called the Northsbane," she said politely to Cara. "And I suppose Jochy talks enough that you have a good idea why he came to me." She looked to him. "I've been meddling with the idea of breaking the bands," she said. "And I'm down to two options: we try to counter-band and deactivate or we skin you like a deer."

Cara looked taken aback. "Well, he wouldn't let me make a small incision in his foot, so..." She glanced at Jochy. "What do you think?"

"Yeah, she knows the deal." Jochy scratched his neck, looking faintly uncomfortable with both options. not for the first time he wished that magic really was just snapping your fingers.

"And I wasn't ready to let yer cut open my foot and re-break my bones to get rid of my limp, it's all depending on what the end result with be. Ain't ready to suffer much to walk straighter, but for my Art? That's different." He chewed a bit on his lip.

"Okay. I ain't fond of the skinning option. I mean yeah, if it comes down to it... I would. But what is the guarantee it just won't grow back? I had a piece cut away a while back, and while it worked for a short moment, it grew back. Unless... shit, yer mean to take it all, don't you?" He looked a bit nauseous of that.

"I'm more for the first option. If it's possible."

"You don't have to apologize for it," Cara retorted. "It's getting cut open. I'd rather not see you skinned alive, either," she admitted.

"Was bad enough getting them on in the first place..." Jochy grimaced a little, then realized what else had happened then and grew sober once more.

"I for one will not risk skinning. We might as well say that the best way to break it would be a knife in your chest. So re-routing first. Then I'll start plundering for other options. And if there are no other options, you are going to the baird." She gave him a stern look, daring him to object.