[Changeling] A Gathering of Mists IC

[SiuiS]

Spoiler

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Then Adventure Game logic kicked in.

Finally! A wavelength to share!

Anarion, going for Composure + Empathy to bask in the mixture of wonder and joy over the fireworks, is that okay?

EDIT: two successes.

Marchande sits by Oratrice de Maison, working trough her own thoughts aloud on being a person and making business. Stephanie winds we way back to the man wound of whicker and wire. Rose has gone off to take root, perhaps to find peace? Charlotte knows she could find her if perhaps she were to follow the yellowgold effervescent trails of awe and wonderment. But instead, there was the sky, still alight. Crackling with blooms of dragon's breath, and all the glory it inspired, all the joy.

Her head ached, slightly. It wasn't fully clear, but was much less enjoyable. Finishing off the remainder of her bottle, Charlotte stands stock-still, amidst the crowd. They no longer move or mill like herd beasts, but she is stiller, still - a beautiful scarecrow amidst a time lapse field of sunflowers. Her eyes closed, lips lightly parted, feeling the heat and light searing her eyelids, setting them aflame like paper lanterns. For now, a statue, she rests, and basks.

[Raz_Fox]

"I'm flexible," Marchande says as smoothly as possible, leaning back. "She's my responsibility, in a way, and if there are goblins about there's none better for the fray, but I'm not holding her leash. Or, to put it another way, you'd only see her around if you needed me to strong-arm things. But who needs to do that when you have brains and a bit of luck?"

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Spoiler

Finally! A wavelength to share!

Anarion, going for Composure + Empathy to bask in the mixture of wonder and joy over the fireworks, is that okay?

[Yes, it's okay.]

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

"I'm flexible," Marchande says as smoothly as possible, leaning back. "She's my responsibility, in a way, and if there are goblins about there's none better for the fray, but I'm not holding her leash. Or, to put it another way, you'd only see her around if you needed me to strong-arm things. But who needs to do that when you have brains and a bit of luck?"

"Alright" says the fetch. "Then how about this: You consult with me once a week, at a location of my choosing? The first one would be the Boulevard Restaurant at downtown San Francisco, a week from today, at noon. You won't be paid, there' no way I can justify putting you on my formal staff, but if you need a little cash I can provide that in person, and I can pay you by putting you in contact with my political connections, at least, such as remains after today."

[Raz_Fox]

Marchande, on a whim formed from half-remembered stories, extends her hand. "Shake on it," she says, her voice low. "If you promise to look out for the lost ones, me and my luck are at your service."

[Anarion]

Fetch Kalina reaches out her hand and takes Marchande's. She has a firm grasp, almost painful. As she shakes, red strands reach out and coil around the two of them, a tightness on Marchande's heart, and then released, the new oath coiled around her and through er in Wyrd.

[Vague bargain. Marchande's side: Lesser endeavor once/week of providing luck -1. Fetch side, lesser endeavor, aid the lost when possible. 1 week duration (to be renewed when visiting next week).]

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

Stephanie looked at it for a second, drunk mind being unhelpful. Then Adventure Game logic kicked in "Oh! GPS co-ordinates!" she said brightly. "Awesome. So you owe us a favour we can call in whenever? Can we trade it to someone else?"

When Stephanie says "can we trade it someone else?" the Wicker Man, for the first time, looks a tad strained.

"I am bound to tell you, truthfully, that you may do so. But, I ask that you do not. I will be very upset with you, if you do."

[Raz_Fox]

Originally Posted by Anarion

Spoiler

Fetch Kalina reaches out her hand and takes Marchande's. She has a firm grasp, almost painful. As she shakes, red strands reach out and coil around the two of them, a tightness on Marchande's heart, and then released, the new oath coiled around her and through er in Wyrd.

[Vague bargain. Marchande's side: Lesser endeavor once/week of providing luck -1. Fetch side, lesser endeavor, aid the lost when possible. 1 week duration (to be renewed when visiting next week).]

To Marchande's credit, she manages to smile, stand up, and say - with only a hint of shakiness - "See you next week, ma'am." She even walks away under the fireworks off the stage, and it is only when she's pretty sure the Fetch can't see her that she starts flailing her hand about and panicking.

That was completely and totally unexpected, and weird fairy magic was not the kind of thing that you wanted. Would she drop dead if she didn't keep that promise?

Once she calms down, she runs one hand over her head, long nails gliding across her scalp, and then takes a deep breath. Okay. She can handle this. She's in control. She's got the wits of a hob and the soul of a human, and there's nothing that can stop her.

Her hand is still shaking a little when she walks back over to the wicker man.

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Anarion

When Stephanie says "can we trade it someone else?" the Wicker Man, for the first time, looks a tad strained.

"I am bound to tell you, truthfully, that you may do so. But, I ask that you do not. I will be very upset with you, if you do."

"Why not?" Stephanie said, relentlessly curious. "What do other people know that I don't?"

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Thanqol

"Why not?" Stephanie said, relentlessly curious. "What do other people know that I don't?"

"Because I chose to deal with you, and if you trade access to my location, you are forcing me to deal with someone else, someone who I did not choose."

Marchande arrives back at about this time and the wicker man turns to all of you.

"This conversation is over. It has been most...interesting*...working with you. I look forward to our next meeting."

And with that, he stands up and begins striding into the crowd
[Though as always when I narrate someone walking off, you could stop him if you wanted, but it would require putting a hand on his arm or shoulder, or shouting at him.]



*Stephanie hears that as completely sincere. To Machande's and Charlotte's more sensitive empathy, there is a bit of a sneer in the wicker man's voice as he says it.

[Thanqol]

"He seemed nice," said Stephanie obliviously. "What'd you get, Marchy?"

[SiuiS]

"She has our next location, to gain identities, non?" Charlotte had begun to stir at the wickerman's pained responses to Stephanie, and now wore a smirk as a subtle badge. Her notion of conscripting Oratrice d'Maison had been what transpired, anyway. "Right, Marchande?"

She seems oblivious to having thought the first half of her question.

[Raz_Fox]

"An ally," Marchande says, watching the wicker man stride away with laughter up his sleeve. "And some direction. Charlotte, that's a good idea, I'm stealing it. Stephanie, go get Kalina."

She stares at the receding figure of the wicker man so hard it's a wonder he doesn't burst into flames. Just because he had connections, had gotten used to being back, had allies as peers instead of lucky, skilled people with the brains of cats...

"Right, yeah. Identities." Something to do before they fell apart.

[Thanqol]

"I have an identity," said Stephanie, Not Understanding(tm). "'sec," she said, disappearing into the crowd to find Kalina and lead her back.

[PhoeKun]

Rose stands away from the crowds in a place where she can see the beach and watch the waves roll in underneath the night sky. Fireworks, people... these things are unimportant. Kalina wants to be with... well, not with people, but with something that reminds her of herself, at least. She looks down at her hand, still running over all of the things she just did. And didn't do.

It was supposed to feel... better than it did. Bullying, breaking the one who stole her life. Proving her dominance over His creation. Being the better person. Instead, Kalina fights to control a hollow and very cold pit forming in her chest.

"So, what do you think?" She asks aloud. She's not really looking at Stephanie, and in fact might not even know she's come, but it's loud enough for the other girl to hear clearly.

[Thanqol]

What do I think?

Stephanie's mind stumbled over the question. But there was a lack of inhibition from the alcohol, and the words just came out, out loud, without editing or reflection.

"I don't think. I just... do things. I don't know if they're the right things - but if I'm doing them for the right people, that's good enough, I think."

[PhoeKun]

Kalina startles, an act that involves a sudden jerk of her head. She turns cautiously to find Stephanie, and stares at her the way a cheetah might stare at a painting.

"You are..." she begins. And shakes her head.

"I think that I would give nearly anything for a chance to be you. Just... for one minute."

Without waiting for a response, Rose starts to walk back to where she'd last seen the others.

[Thanqol]

"To be me?" Stephanie murmured to herself.

That should be possible. With all the magic in the world that had to be possible. Could she find a way?

She knew she was being stupid trying to take that figure of speech literally. But at the same time the thought wouldn't leave her head. Was it a reference to her naivety? Stupidity? Optimism? She didn't know, Rose was like a sphinx to her.

But she could see that she hurt. And Stephanie had no idea how to deal with that. So if taking that figure of speech literally and talking to a wizard or something might help? It was more than she had to go on otherwise.

She'd look into it.

She went after Rose to find the others.

[Thanqol]

Upon returning to the others, Stephanie asked a blanket, "So we're done here - what next?"

She was contemplating further petty crime if no one suggested anything.

[SiuiS]

Spoiler

Congrats, Thanqol, you broke my subscriptions. Viewing all of them shows this as having new posts, but they didn't show up in the 'only show new posts' screen. You sly dog, you.

Charlotte wavered a moment, thinking. For some reason, it felt late enough to be an imposition, but she knew the sun had only recently gone down. And thinking had this strange, fuzzy quality to it. It was like trying to put together a watch, cog by spring, wearing mittens.

"Do you think we should go now, Madame? To Minna, or is there somewhere else we could still work this evening?" With the other two women gone, she have Marchande her full attention, and all the weight of expectation such attentiveness brings to bear. 'It is your responsibility' her eyes said, just short of judging. Her brow moves slightly however, as if she were fighting a frown.

The motions clears up however, as the others return. Whatever her expression, Charlotte was better at keeping its cause from her mind while grouped.

[Raz_Fox]

Marchande's reply is a simple, "Yes." If they don't have momentum, some hare-brained scheme to follow, they'll fall apart. Her shoulders are tight and when Stephanie and Rose finally show up again, she just waves them on.

Get a bus. #12 Minna Street. Keep moving. God, she's tired. It would be so easy to just drop off the radar, hide under the bed... #12 Minna Street. Get a bus.

[Anarion]

The fireworks continue as the party leaves, the bangs echoing, even when they can't be seen. The busride, fortunately, is uneventful, and the party soon arrives at Minna street. #12 Minna doesn't seem like a regular place for a pawn shop. The street itself is essentially an ally between two tall buildings. One side of the street simply opens into a back entrance parking garage, and the other side of the street is a covered, columned walkway below another large building. Cobwebs hang between the columns, interspersed with bright red "NO STOPPING, TOW AWAY ZONE" signs on the outside of the building. There don't seem to be any homeless here at the moment, but trash and refuse scattered around the inside of the sidewalk suggests they come and go. After all, a covered sidewalk is at a premium when it rains.

The entrance itself is a small unmarked door with a couple windows which have been painted over with white paint so that it's impossible to see inside. There's no sign of any kind, but the door is unlocked.

[SiuiS]

Well the obvious thing to do is knock, non?

Reaching out, Charlotte raps her knuckles on the door, silverwhite crystalline tones at odds with the dusky yellow of her hand.

[Anarion]

You hear the voice of an elderly woman call down from upstairs "who is it? And at such an odd hour?"

[Thanqol]

Don't pickpocket while on the bus. Everyone's poor and you've got nowhere to run. Stephanie instead occupied her time by surreptitiously sorting through wallets, centralising cash and noting which wallets looked like they were worth selling on.

"This isn't an odd hour. Daylight is odd hours," Stephanie said, perhaps missing the point.

[Raz_Fox]

"People live by daylight, Stephanie," Marchande says.

The bus had been a chance to order the mind. Like grasping a bunch of glass shards and amazingly holding a bottle in your hand. Being back wasn't going to be easy - how could she have expected it to be so? She not only had to be an adult, not just a student coasting along on her father's money, but she had to lead a group of women just as torn up as she was, while trying to be human when every smell jumped out at her, when every command made her want to obey, when her tail made sitting on the bus seats uncomfortable and she had to stand. But she had the bottle now. The suit held everything together.

She hesitates at the doorframe, thinking very quick thoughts, thoughts like: isn't there something special about doors? Something, you're not supposed to go inside, or is that just under a horseshoe? Ordinary people can't do that. But the woman here isn't likely to be ordinary. But she might know the lost if they talked right.

"Storm-tossed travelers," Marchande says, "blown by the spring winds to your door this evening. Might we enter in?" She raps her knuckles on the doorframe, smiling. Is this right?

[SiuiS]

Charlotte glances to either side, somewhat incredulous. "... Us?" a pause. "We were told to ask for Minna, miss. Is she here?" Another pause. It occurs that maybe Marchande should have taken the lead, that she must salvage her gaff. "May we come in, s'il vous plaît?"

Spoiler

And then Starry remembered to preview posts so as not to make a gaff about a gaff and inspired poor grammar based on a misunderstanding of words

[Anarion]

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

"Might we enter in?"

"You might, and then again you might not," calls the voice. "Don't see as to how I'm supposed to be reading your minds to answer that one. If you're coming, hurry it up though, you're letting all the heat out, holding that door open like that."

Originally Posted by SiuiS

Charlotte glances to either side, somewhat incredulous. "... Us?" a pause. "We were told to ask for Minna, miss. Is she here?" Another pause. It occurs that maybe Marchande should have taken the lead, that she must salvage her gaff. "May we come in, s'il vous plaît?"

"Oh, you're looking for Minna. Why didn't you say so earlier? That means it's your first time. Yes, yes. Come in and hurry it up, just because you're in the right place doesn't mean I'll be any more forgiving for letting the heat out."

[Thanqol]

Originally Posted by Raz_Fox

"People live by daylight, Stephanie," Marchande says.

"People are dumb," said Stephanie, walking through the door without waiting.

[PhoeKun]

Kalina sits in silence on the bus ride, and stands in silence as they mill about the entrance to 12 Minna Street, to the point where it's difficult to tell if she's even really "there".

Until Stephanie speaks out against daylight.

"You're not keeping those wallets."

She steps inside without another word.

[Thanqol]

"Well, no. I'm going to sell them," Stephanie said, Not Understanding as usual. "I only need one."