Random Plots and Places 11: Still more random than you!

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

The lemur is busy lecturing the shade of some dreamer to stop forgetting the important things and not to listen to people who obviously don't know what they're talking about, like the fellow with the horns.

Leah is talking about marriages and foxes. Cleo is snickering and talking about candy? Forty people are talking about drinks and chairs and pheasant. Somewhere, Mrs. Anders is talking about flute lessons.

[Ashen Lilies]

[The Henge of Tormented Souls]

The sparrow ponders for a moment, then hops innocuously over to where the cultist is, reading his book. The book which now, unless it is somehow protected from magic, should be starting to burst into flame. While the cultist is distracted with that, Jazirian shifts back into human form besides the cultist, attempting to sucker punch him just at the moment the cultist is fully occupied with his book being on fire.

Wow, rude.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

That is what dream-lemur and dream-Leah would talk about. Candy? Probably. She could rather do with some chocolates. Has been too long since they've eaten much but fruits and vegetables.

Anyway, Cleo slides off the balloon and looks around in the teeth and dust for things of interest. She should probably let Mist stay rightly asleep this time.

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

The dirt holds little secrets save for string and discarded Legos.
Though hidden under a tooth is a doodle of a stick figure standing in front of a line of trees with a spirally arrow to indicate three spins.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

Cleo spends an unnecessary amount of time sitting in the dirt assembling the Legos into buildings.
It's as she shoves over a tooth in search of more pieces that she remembers the reason she's here, grabs a tree into place, and spins around three times.
Or is it to walk around the tree three times? She can try that too.

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

As Cleo faces forward after the third turn, she should find herself in the middle of the forest proper. It looks familiar as is should, despite also being as alien as it always is.

[Earl of Purple]

The Henge of Tormented Souls

The book actively resists magical fire, though as soon as it starts to smoke and smoulder the cultist knows something's up and grabs his electric goad. Just in time to be punched in the jaw. The man flails wildly with his deliberately non-lethal weapon sparking as he falls over with a grunt.

The tent collapses upon its contents of beds and boxes of tools. The six cultists, having a break after successfully damaging the outermost stone circle, walk back to the tent to put it back up again. They don't realise it's been sabotaged, and discuss who made the mistake that lead to its loss of structural integrity. There's nobody inside the tent at the time. Five of the beds were occupied, and now two are flailing around trying to find a way out, one is struggling to find the zip that opens their sleeping bag, one is still asleep and hasn't noticed and the last is panicking because they're claustrophobic.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

Cleo becomes a dragon if she weren't already - she might have been, haven't been paying attention - and clambers up one of the trees, clinging to the trunk. From there, she leaps to the next tree, and the one after that, sending metallic leaves shaking. She needs a door, and doors are found on the ground.

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

She was a dragon already, yes.
It takes a while, but eventually she should come across a vaguely familiar door with a large bronze doorknob sunk low into its trunk.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

Turning a doorknob that has no reason to open. In through the door. Deeper. More asleep, more awake.

Cleo spends a while looking on the other side. One can see important things here. Maybe they can't always make sense of them, but one can see. So she watches the lights and vegetables crawl by at the edge of her vision carefully.

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

Into the snowy forest with the knives. The glowing door she and Mist cut into the tree where the Royal Dirk rested is still there, having been left open as an invitation for the two of them. The soft glow of the portal should make it easy for Cleo to find it.
There's more natural movement in the forest. Whereas before it seems unnaturally silent, now it is merely quiet.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

Cleo proceeds carefully to the glow. What has changed to wake the forest up?
There goes a bird, and there a seedpod, and there a tiny helicopter.

No trouble yet.
Have the nobles all gone away, no more to scare the forest quiet?

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

Through the door yields the fair-grounds again. But this time, the tables are gone, only a few structures not yet hauled away, and some streamers and tassels too pretty to rip down.
Cleo might be a cat now as she was before, but either way a familiar young stag walks up to her. She might remember him as the young waiter who took Mist's "invitation." He's still juvenile and a bit gangly, but his antlers were apparently large enough to do something with them.

"Hello, Miss! Welcome back! Are you here to see the Duke? I'm afraid you've missed Lord Archibald and the King if you wished to see them. Our Duke's turn has ended, so we of his lands are settling down again." he explains.
It seems if she wanted the Lord-Knight or King's domain she should have taken another door.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

"Hello!" the cat says, waving a paw cheerily. Is the young stag just the same, or are changes creeping up on him?

"I suppose I am, and one of the three's better than not. Whose turn do you think comes around next?"
It was Archibald she was looking for, at that.

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

Well, the stag is only about a week older than she last saw him. He's looking a bit more rested and cheerful than she last saw him, perhaps. What changes was she expecting?
"It's Lord-Knight Archibald's turn next, of course. The Cycle never changes. If you wish to speak to the Duke, he's relaxing in the pavilion, as before. Wonderful to see you, Miss. Would you like to be announced?"

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

The cat nods to the stag.
"No thank you, this is nothing officious."
And who knows if it's safe to tell the stag her name.

"I can find the way myself, if you don't mind."
And she does, prancing over to the other pavilion.

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

The little gate is still there, and passing through it, past a number of deer who bob their heads and welcome Cleo leads to the pavilion again. Unlike the main grounds, the Duke's finery is still here, though now it appears to be just slightly packed up so it can be moved.
"Oh, well hello there my dear. To what do I owe this unexpected visit?" booms the Stag Duke heartily as she enters, lounging on his cushions as before, having seemingly just finished with dealing with the report of some hart who prances away.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

Cleo bobs at each of the deer in turn.

She bows to the Duke when she enters.
"Hello, good duke. I was wondering if you could tell me about coats."

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

The Duke flicks his ears and turns his head a bit in puzzlement.
"Of what kind do you mean? The kind you wear? The kind humans add to their own? The spotted one a fawn wears?" he asks, more than a little intrigued by the question.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

"The latter two, and the kind a King might give to someone."
The cat sits down, turns away, and wraps its tail about itself.

"Do others do the same?"

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

The Duke chortles, realizing her intent.
"Well, besides a few of my servants I don't know if you know any young fawns who still have their spots.
But yes, though the gifts we give mortals do not always take that form. Archibald sometimes merely knights the mortals he accepts under his wing instead of actually giving them a coat of feathers. I myself have an heir, as is proper. You probably saw the poor lad outside, with my other servants. He has no idea, just taking invitations and serving drinks with the rest. Oh, the others know, they can smell how he's different. But I think all that hard work will make sure he knows what's important when his time comes." he explains, pride in his voice.
"But why-ever do you wish to know that?" he asks.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

Cleo flicks her ears back towards the other pavilion.
"I hope it pays off. He seems quite glad to not be busy with it anymore. But he'll remember it, won't he?"
A cattish smile.

"Of course, I don't ask for any heir I might want, but for mortals left behind. The Prince I came here with, something of an only child now, right? Rather boring."

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

"Well, it'll be our turn again some day. And he has plenty of other duties when we aren't playing Host.

And if the Prince is to have a sibling, that is the Fox's decision. I'm just his uncle. " says the Duke, giving Cleo an equally sly look. Just what does she have in mind? Obviously that's not what she meant by only child, but he doesn't always have to be completely straightforward.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

"And a good day that will be; you were quite hospitable."

The cat shrugs in an overly human way. Kinda uncomfortable when you're resting on those hands.

"Well, how about a cousin? Before he was a Prince, there was another family he had. Must miss them, right? Of course, they didn't fall into the same circumstance."

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

Presently there is a small folder on a stand beside the Duke, the pages of which he turns with a hoof.
"Yes, as far as I know his parents and grandmother are still alive. Are you insinuating I should make servants of them?" he asks, pausing his reading to look down at Cleo.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

The cat finally looks up at the Duke, having no book to flip through.

:3

"Yes. And I admit some curiosity about the process - the Gift, is it? - itself."

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

"Well, I would have to consult Archibald. The rules are quite clear. When a whole family is inducted into the Court, part must go to the service of each Noble, to keep balance as our family does. Of course, since you came to me with this suggestion I would have first pick. And it would so cruel to separate two mates...
Anyway though, the Gift is a part of ourselves, or the essence of our domain in the case of the lesser Gifts. It becomes part of the mortal until they can nurture it into part of themselves. They grow into it, you see. That is why the Prince has taken some time to start gaining his royal color. My own heir, you might have noticed, leaves a bit to be desired, yet he is older than the Prince. He hasn't grown into what little antlers he has. When he becomes ready for his axe, he'll hit..what would humans call it? His proper manhood? I'm sure it will be hilarious to watch; he'll be getting quite a deal bigger in a very short period of time.
For lesser Gifts, this is usually much more instantaneous, or just less significant."

If the little waiter from outside is to replace the Duke, he's going to need to get a lot bigger, since the Duke has probably the largest body and antlers on any hart Cleo is likely to have seen that still looks like he's a naturally occurring creature.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

Nodding cat. She hadn't appreciated what an exemplar of being a deer he was before. He looks smaller on the chair.
"It's much the same process after the start then, though we don't grow into things all at once. One, two, three stages till you're there. That would be quite a start, to change as he'll have to."
"Divided up, two and one and one? Do you consider yourself a cruel sort?"

She can't help looking back towards where the heir is again.

"Does it ever happen that one outgrows their Gift?"

[Deathkeeper]

Dreaming Fox Inn

"Well if there were more of them there wouldn't need to be uneven splits. And you do realize that the three Domains are adjacent, yes? Even if they kept to their places they would be able to see each other easily. We give our servants time off. It's not like they work all the time for eternity. And he'll have gone through a few stages before he gets here. He was just a fawn when I took him in. He's already grown quite a bit.

And what do you mean? Cease being the proper creature and start being something else? No, it has never happened. Just the sound of it is quite disturbing." rumbles the Duke with a shake of his head.

[Recaiden]

[Dreaming Fox Inn]

Cleo nods.
"I realize. I was not accusing you of anything. And as it is, they are already so divided by the generations."
"I would love to hear the Lord's opinion on the matter."
"Growing up already, is he? Just not as fast as he might. Good for him. But no, one's stages of development and one's age need never intersect."

"Rather, for the creature that they are to cease being the proper creature. It is not uncommon among us. A pity. Can you not imagine yourself in a tangle of horns such as no hart might truly bear? Or spreading wings to fly out these walls?"