[Changeling IC] Time's Wings: Dark Omens

[Thanqol]

Suffering pain is something that the Pilgrim is so familiar with, any reputable therapist would raise it as a concern.

The touch mars lines of poetry and doggrel seared across his palm.

Now, the sound of that- the heart would be within the grove, yes? This would be a good time to ramble upon the subject of Huntsmen and, most specifically, how Changelings go about the process of hunting them.

Hearts aren't in the Hedge. If they were the Huntsmen could just stumble across them and set themselves free. But they're not not in the Hedge either - they're close enough to be felt. And the place which touches on the Hedge without being in the Hedge is, of course, the dreams of humans.

This means that, firstly, the Hedge is a total dead end. No searching here will find the Heart or any hint of it's place. No faerie magic will trace it back to its source. You can't even do a warmer/colder thing with the Huntsmen. You need to do your searching in the mortal world, entering people's dreams as they sleep and exploring those strange lands. A dream is much like the landscape of the Hedge, except its logic and stories are far more personal and perhaps even more dangerous.

That means that trial and error is not a great way to go Heart-hunting.

But having the heart of a faerie thrown into a mortal's dreams is definitely the sort of thing that impacts on the mortal. That means they spend a third of their life in direct contact with the beating heart of one of the fair folk and that results in all kinds of changes. Search for people who are growing to resemble the true heart of Mercia the Flower Knight and you'll narrow down your candidates a lot.

For what it's worth, it is possible to hide a heart in the dreams of a Changeling. Changelings are natural oneriomancers, though, meaning that is risky - they'd need to have sworn an oath to hide the heart on behalf of the Gentry to not just go in and pluck it out themselves.

Aelas takes a deep breath and holds it, her hair and her glow turning an angry shade of red before she lets it out with a deep, resigned sign. "I...just...want, to go meet my friend. Ugh, fine, fine. I'll go talk to the ravine. Just, uh, try not to wake up the troll, I guess? Or do, I dunno, whatever, I'll be back."

Aelas mounts Butterfly. "Lets go girl, down to the base of the valley, quick as a bolt, alright? We've got a conversation to have with a ravine." Butterfly leaps down the side of the valley, taking every deer trail and jutting bit of stone like an expert, and one gallop later, Aelas gets off.

"Now then, Mr. or Ms. Ravine. I'm sure that you really like being a ravine, and I understand that. But! I bet you've had a good long time being all down low. You can barely see anything from down here. Did you know that mayor bear has a beautiful cave up there? And there's an eastward walking wizard that I bet you've only seen the soles of his feet. Oh yes indeed."
Aelas brushes her feet along the dust at the base of the ravine to emphasize how much it has experienced soles of feet and not much else. "But, if you were to come up high, you'd have a whole new view! Doesn't that sound exciting! I'm excited just thinking about it! You could meet all the animals, and the trees up there, and see the big, big sky instead of that narrow little sky on either side of the bridge. So, whaddya say Ravine buddy? You've tried the low, now try the high and come see the sky!"

The ravine thinks about it.

[This is, uh, presence+persuasion. -6 because it's a ravine and +2 because you make a convincing argument.]

"I can see her logic," Lily said, not about to insult her own patron, never stopping the gentle pats and strokes. "Besides, there is a King of Winter, surely there has to be a Queen also." She was starting to get a feel for how this cat liked to be treated and she was getting better at avoid in the batting paws. "Sounds like there is a need for some new Holidays, don't you think?"

That gets a serious purr. But the words it says are, "I just want Halloween. It's mine. I want it."

It's the halfhearted complaint of a cat who knows it's not going to get what it wants but damned if it's going to surrender the principle that it should get everything it wants.

"What does Winter look like?" she asked softly as she stroked long strokes from the top of his head to the tip of his tail.

The urge to buy a cat was becoming much too strong. She half hoped Autumn would just decide to move in but she highly doubted he would, he was Autumn and not only was she of the Winter Court but lived with the Winter King no less.

"Inferior," said Autumn in the bored tone of a cat talking about something that isn't itself.

"I think you'll find my word good and my company incomparable." He retorted with a sly wink and raised teacup.

Edmund would spend the dwindling remainder of the conversation on curt pleasantries before excusing himself to go rendezvous with Lily.

He made sure to swipe enough roast chicken for later.

Lily is in the park, talking to an ugly cat who gives you an ugly-cat-stare.