Waiting For Rain IC: Spring Slowly Comes

[Thanqol]

"Nah, nothing. Just comes with being a sheriff," Vorel said. She was saved from elaborating further when Jon came barrelling down the corridor.

[Deadly]

Charlene nodded a little. She was about to ask about Vorel's job when Jon appeared. A little disappointed by the interruption she turned, making a note to maybe ask later. "Hi. What's happening?"

[the_druid_droid]

Hurried would a good word to use to describe Jon’s current state; he nodded a quick hello to Charlene, then turned his full attention to the dragoness. For an instant, he looked as if a torrent of words was about to break out, whether he chose to speak or not, but then he took a long deep breath and squared his shoulders. As he did so, the frantic atmosphere surrounding him eased slightly, and he managed to stand quietly for a few heartbeats, until he finally felt ready to try and form his thoughts into coherent words.

“Hi, uh, Isabelle just reminded me that my sister has gotten older, and that means she might be in college and that I might have a chance to talk to her without the fetch screwing everything up; the only problem is I don’t know where she ended up or how to contact her, or really what to say once I’m there... So, uh, I was wondering if you or Talmage or Felix could help me find her and sort of get the ball rolling...” The words still spilled out, but they came slowly enough that the others might have a chance of understanding what he meant. For his part, Jon simply stood in the hall, looking toward Vorel with hopeful eyes.

[BlasTech]

Isabelle was breathing hard when she reached the entrance to the manor. She had to be only a few moments behind Jon, but her friend definitely had her beat in the realm of endurance.

Looking around the entrance hall, she wondered where Jon had run off to. He'd mentioned Vorel and Felix, so he'd probably gone to seek out one of those two. But which one?

But ... there might be a way to kill two birds with one stone here. She realised.

She put her fingers to her temples, adopting a pose that was as cliche as it was ridiculous, yet would hopefully amplify her next thought to the threshold where it could be heard by those who were properly attuned.

Gritting her teeth, she thought as hard as she could.

Boy, I could use a glass of water.

[Thanqol]

Hurried would a good word to use to describe Jon’s current state; he nodded a quick hello to Charlene, then turned his full attention to the dragoness. For an instant, he looked as if a torrent of words was about to break out, whether he chose to speak or not, but then he took a long deep breath and squared his shoulders. As he did so, the frantic atmosphere surrounding him eased slightly, and he managed to stand quietly for a few heartbeats, until he finally felt ready to try and form his thoughts into coherent words.

“Hi, uh, Isabelle just reminded me that my sister has gotten older, and that means she might be in college and that I might have a chance to talk to her without the fetch screwing everything up; the only problem is I don’t know where she ended up or how to contact her, or really what to say once I’m there... So, uh, I was wondering if you or Talmage or Felix could help me find her and sort of get the ball rolling...” The words still spilled out, but they came slowly enough that the others might have a chance of understanding what he meant. For his part, Jon simply stood in the hall, looking toward Vorel with hopeful eyes.

"Uh, sure. What do you need? A car? Mr. Talmage will be back soon -" Vorel said a little hesitantly, feeling like she really wasn't the one who usually did this.

Isabelle was breathing hard when she reached the entrance to the manor. She had to be only a few moments behind Jon, but her friend definitely had her beat in the realm of endurance.

Looking around the entrance hall, she wondered where Jon had run off to. He'd mentioned Vorel and Felix, so he'd probably gone to seek out one of those two. But which one?

But ... there might be a way to kill two birds with one stone here. She realised.

She put her fingers to her temples, adopting a pose that was as cliche as it was ridiculous, yet would hopefully amplify her next thought to the threshold where it could be heard by those who were properly attuned.

Gritting her teeth, she thought as hard as she could.

Boy, I could use a glass of water.

"Mademoiselle, are you feeling all right?" asked Felix from behind her almost as soon as she started, tray of drinks - as ever - in hand.

[the_druid_droid]

Jon’s face fell a little at Vorel’s lukewarm answer, and he rubbed at the back of his neck with one hand.

“A car would help, sure... I guess I kind of dropped this on you all at once, but I got carried away. I... Actually, I thought you might be able to help me look her up using your phone,” Jon eyed the device as he spoke; he knew a little about technology, but the capabilities of Vorel’s hardware still seemed almost magical to him, “it’s ok if that isn’t possible, but I just thought I might ask.”

[BlasTech]

"Mademoiselle, are you feeling all right?" asked Felix from behind her almost as soon as she started, tray of drinks - as ever - in hand.

"Felix!" Isabelle spun, her expression on seeing the butler was probably sufficiently cheerful to put him in some discomfort.

"Just the man I was hoping to see. Did you see Jon come by here a minute ago? I was just talking to him when he bolted off and I think he might have been looking for you, it sounded important." Isabelle continued.

"Also, could I please have a glass of water?"

[Thanqol]

Jon’s face fell a little at Vorel’s lukewarm answer, and he rubbed at the back of his neck with one hand.

“A car would help, sure... I guess I kind of dropped this on you all at once, but I got carried away. I... Actually, I thought you might be able to help me look her up using your phone,” Jon eyed the device as he spoke; he knew a little about technology, but the capabilities of Vorel’s hardware still seemed almost magical to him, “it’s ok if that isn’t possible, but I just thought I might ask.”

"Sure, you can use my computer. You know how Facebook works, right?" Vorel said. Stalking in the future was easy.

"Felix!" Isabelle spun, her expression on seeing the butler was probably sufficiently cheerful to put him in some discomfort.

"Just the man I was hoping to see. Did you see Jon come by here a minute ago? I was just talking to him when he bolted off and I think he might have been looking for you, it sounded important." Isabelle continued.

"Also, could I please have a glass of water?"

"Yes, I believe he went to the reptile's room," Felix said, handing over a drink and maintaining a carefully civil veneer.

[BlasTech]

"Yes, I believe he went to the reptile's room," Felix said, handing over a drink and maintaining a carefully civil veneer.

Isabelle polished off the drink, somehow managing to simultaniously frown at the butler's appellation for Vorel.

"Something wrong?" She asked, as she handed back the glass.

[Thanqol]

"Not in the slightest," said Felix, face entirely passive. "Will that be all, mademoiselle?"

[BlasTech]

"Not in the slightest," said Talmage, face entirely passive. "Will that be all, mademoiselle?"

"Yep. Thanks Felix, catch you later" Isabelle bade farewell to the butler and made her way off to Vorel's room.

She remembered the way there from last time, so it wasn't too long until she was knocking on the door.

[Deadly]

Charlene, already standing near the door, opened it for Isabelle. "Hello, Isabelle."

[Totally sorry for the uninspiring post, just haven't got a lot for Charlene to say or do right now]

[BlasTech]

"Hi Charlene, have you see- Oh there he is." Isabelle said, noticing Jon hunched over Vorel's PC.

"What did I miss?"

(I bet I can out-uninspire you!)

[Deadly]

"Jon is trying to find his sister. He hopes he may be able to talk to her without the fetch complicating things," Charlene summed up.

[the_druid_droid]

“Oh, yeah... it’s been a while, but I still remember.”

Jon seated himself in front of the computer and logged on to his old account. On a hunch, he checked his friends list - Jessica Greene was listed there, even though she hadn’t had an account when he’d disappeared. This intrusion seemed personal somehow, making Jon’s heart lurch, and he swore under his breath at the fetch.

“It says here she went to Reed College, with a music major. Oh, wow... she’s even got her dorm listed; we really need to have a talk about online safety when I see her!” His older-brother mode was activating, but suddenly it faltered and his expression tensed.

“Uh, Vorel? Do you think Talmage would be willing to help me figure out how to do this? I mean, me and Jess were close, but explaining this to her... I don’t really know where to start.”

[I'm assuming FB is easy enough to forgo a Computer skill roll. Also, sorry again for the delay, but most of my higher cognitive function was dead last night]

[Thanqol]

[My rule of thumb is that Computer 0 people can use a Macintosh, don't know not to open the attachments or use secure passwords, and have to call tech support before they get the advice to "turn it off and on again". Facebook is basic enough to use in this way.]

"Well, there is a way... you know about Pledge Crafting, right?" Vorel said, thinking.

[the_druid_droid]

[I put a dot in Computer - Jon’s memories are coming back, so can he use a PC?]

“Well, I spent the last few years in a deer’s body. I mean, I know it was a bad deal that got me there in the first place, and I guess I kind of get the basics, but I’ve never tried anything like this...” Jon blushed a little as he spoke; he was starting to feel helpless again.

[Thanqol]

[Yes.]

"There's a type of Boon - Ensorcellment - which brings a person slightly into the world of Faerie - enough to see our true shapes and our magic." Vorel said, "As long as you make sure she doesn't panic when it happens it can be a way to prove what you're saying is real."

[the_druid_droid]

“Ok... I can try that.” Jon grew quiet and stared off into the distance for a while, with a look that said he was rehearsing the encounter in his head.

[Deadly]

"Perhaps someone could approach her first and get to know her for you, just so you don't have any surprises like," Charlene thought a bit, "her and the fetch having a recent disagreement and not being on the best terms or things like that." Charlene felt terribly unhelpful, this was all she could think to offer in the way of advice. "Who knows how it'd go if you just walked right up to her out of nowhere."

[BlasTech]

"That's going to be be a hard conversation no matter which way you cut it." Isabelle frowned, considering Charlene's proposal. "It could work though, but it would take some time. I doubt she'd trust anyone who just walked straight up to her and said "Hey, guess what? Magic is real!"

[Thanqol]

"You could say you got superpowers," said Talmage, coming down the hall with Felix in tow. "Superpowers sounds more believable, right? Also hey, kids, how's it going?"

[the_druid_droid]

Talmage’s advice snapped Jon back to the present briefly, and he cocked his head while he considered the advice. “That... something like that might actually sound better... if not exactly in those words. I bet I could convince her to watch me run, and show her how much faster I am? Then we could try a pledge, and if she doesn't freak too much, that might be just what I need.”

He nodded once, firmly, and then levered himself out of the computer chair. “That settles it - tomorrow I’m going to head for Reed and find a way to explain everything to Jessica. Maybe she can help me make progress with Mom and Dad too.”

[Thanqol]

"Great!" Talmage said, clapping his hands. "The other thing I wanted to ask was if any of you figured out a Court from today? And did you find anything interesting in the house?"

[Deadly]

"I didn't mean tell her about magic," Charlene said to Isabelle, "that's for Jon to tell eventually, or not, whatever he thinks is best. I was thinking get to know her, talk to her about everyday non-supernatural things so Jon knows what he's getting into and what's happened in his absence. But that's up to Jon, it was just a suggestion," she said, getting the impression that Jon hadn't really heard her and was eager to rush blindly in... like back at the house. Maybe it was in his nature to act fast like that. Charlene felt more inclined to a slow... glacial approach. "I would hate to see this fail because it happened too fast or he didn't know one thing or another about her."

She turned as Talmage appeared. " 'Interesting' is right," she muttered, and stopped to think a bit. She never did get to ask anyone in the Autumn court what their perspective was, there didn't seem to be anyone around, but... she wasn't feeling any pull in that direction. It was Winter that called. "Despite ... differences," she gave a very slight glance at the butler, "I feel that Winter is where I am drawn."

[Thanqol]

"If that's what you think is right, may the cold accept and shelter you." said Talmage.

A chill ran up Charlene's spine, settling into place - a soft, cold weight pressing down on her shoulders. A burden, and an unpleasant one... but one that helped focus. A kind of clarity of thought and action.

[Charlene: Mantle of Winter +1]

Talmage produced a business card from his pocket and gave it to her. It read "Vickrum & Hubert, Attorneys at Law", and had an address and phone number. "When you get the time, go see Prince Vickrum. He'll help set you up."

[Deadly]

Charlene let the cold weight settle. It felt ... right. Burdens bred strength, and adversity brought up a fierceness and determination in even small creatures. She took the card and looked at it. This felt right too, somehow. She didn't know Vickrum, yet Charlene suspected he was just the kind of person she needed. "Thank you, I will go see him tomorrow, I think." Right after I get some clothes with pockets, and shades ... shades first, she added mentally.

[the_druid_droid]

“I don’t know if I’ve settled on a Court just yet... Summer has some really cool stuff, and I know Autumn and Winter aren’t for me, but I’m not 100% on Spring vs. Summer yet. I’ll keep thinking about it for now, if that’s ok?” Jon glanced over at Talmage, wondering if the Spring prince would have any advice to guide him.

[Thanqol]

“I don’t know if I’ve settled on a Court just yet... Summer has some really cool stuff, and I know Autumn and Winter aren’t for me, but I’m not 100% on Spring vs. Summer yet. I’ll keep thinking about it for now, if that’s ok?” Jon glanced over at Talmage, wondering if the Spring prince would have any advice to guide him.

"You think Summer has some cool stuff? How did that make you feel, finding out about that?" Talmage asked.

[BlasTech]

Isabelle leaned back and watched Talmage and Jon discuss the courts. For her, the question of what season she felt she belonged to was a no brainer, and something she'd begun to realise last night.

She'd had a few reservations, true, but they'd been addressed at breakfast this morning when Talmage had helped her realise that the worries she had were not so much about the season, but the court.

She just hoped Talmage wouldn't be too upset about her final decision.