Idlewild -- Logs

Lauren and Zhi are the first through the magic mirror in Rluel Averet's rose-quartz tower. Once through, the beach house Clairchiare promised them is a trifle dusty but clearly elven, with not much of interest but a few chests and a coatrack in the room Lauren and Zhi stumble into out of the gilt-edged standing mirror. Zhi looks around, nods and pulls Lauren forward through that room and then another, murmuring something about this room being better suited to Kip's touch. They end up on the porch outside, a porch extending around the entire length of the house, which looks smaller than it did from the inside. Sea air caresses their faces, and nothing living is in sight but a few seagulls. The empty white beach is perfect, the water silver, the sky a faded cornflower.

Zhi stands looking out over the beach and sighs, hand shading his eyes from the sun, which seems lower here. He appears to be looking for something in the water.

This is nice, Lauren thinks, ruffling her hair in a breath of wind. "Come on, Zhi," she says. "There's a beach. Clair said to walk on it."

Lauren hops off the porch onto the sugar-white sand and wriggles her toes.

Moopy pops soundlessly into visibility, bobbing near Zhi's blue-crested head. The squid says apologetically, "Not exactly, Boss. He said if you found nothin' you should walk on it. What if Lotte gets et in there? By Kip? Er, with Kip."

Lauren scowl over Zhi's shoulder. "WITH," she states firmly. "And I'm looking, all right?" She immediately lowers her eyes to the sand and starts scouting around.

Zhi steps lightly off the porch and keeps looking across the waves as he heads toward them, frowning faintly. Blinking, he turns back to Lauren. "What did you say?"

"Um," Lauren mumbles. "Sorry. Editorial comments."

Zhi raises an eyebrow but says only "Mmm," and turns back to the water. He stands so still only his hair moves in the light breeze, for several minutes. Moopy suggests poking him in the ass to see if he's fallen asleep.

Lauren yawns once, pokes her tongue out at her ever-faithful orange squid, and shuffles down to the waterline. The house really does look small, when she turns to look.

Moopy bobs along like a balloon on an invisible string. "Think he's on to us, Boss. You want me to off him?"

There is a distinct lack of sea life along the beach-- even dead. The nearest gulls are doing aerial squabbles nearly half a mile away over something dark on the seashore.

"You're just jealous, Moops. Don't worry, I won't let him come between us." Lauren reaches up to pat Moopy's invisible and intangible conehead. "ZHI!" she calls up the beach. "WAKE UP AND COME ON! THERE'S SOMETHING DOWN THE BEACH!"

Moopy turns blush-red for a moment instead of orange, blue polkadots standing out nicely. "Awww, Boss. I ain't worried... but, uh, thanks."

Lauren jogs along just at the verge of the water, kicking up the occasional froth of spray. She's half-expecting to see something large and ripely dead under the mess of gulls, but it can't be as bad as opossum street-sandwich, can it?

Zhi startles visibly even at that distance, and then proves that a lack of being six feet tall does not slow down an elf. He catches up to Lauren in seconds without even breathing hard, and paces her in silence. As they approach, the gulls scatter to reveal a small ribcage attached to a skull that lacks eyes but still has hair. In fact, most of the creature... or person.... is still there in skeletal form.

The corpse is child-sized and has faintly greenish bones... and a very long spine for what would otherwise be a small human missing legs. The hair is green.

Zhi sighs once, quiet and sad.

Lauren holds her nose, because that's what one does when confronted with corpses. "It's like a...like a small human, with...eh...a snake tail? God." She backs away a few steps.

Moopy says, "I want to go home, Boss."

Lauren sags a bit. "I hear that, Moops."

Zhi says, "I suspect that was once a fish-tail. One hears the sea-folk are delicacies to... some people." He sighs again and says, "I'm afraid we need-- what?" He eyes Lauren. "All right. Who are you talking to? It's not me."

Lauren points at...nothing. "Sorry," she says. "I can introduce you later. What do we need?"

Zhi says, "Later works as long as it's not telling you to kill me," and grins briefly before closing his eyes a moment. "We need Kip. I can't do anything with this, but Lotte touched something that gave her a vision... he'll bring her and see if she can do that again."

Lauren scratches an ear and backs away from the skeleton-thing a bit more. "I'll go get him," she volunteers uneasily. "God, this is wierd. Come on, Moops." Off she goes.

Zhi reaches out and stops Lauren gently. "No need. They're on their way."

The Fall elf tilts his head, blue crest swaying. "Moops is who you are going to introduce me to, right?"

Lauren stops. "Well, that's...uh, good. How did they know?"

Zhi shrugs. "I told them."

Lotte follows Kip through the rooms and out onto a porch. They jump down onto the sand and make their way down the beach to join Lauren and Zhi. When they arrive, Lotte sees the green skeleton and squeezes her eyes shut.

The Fall elf smiles and says, "I like to know who I'm talking to... all of who I'm talking to. We can share information later like good friends do, if you like, hmm?" He smiles at Lotte a bit apologetically as she arrives and says, "I'm sorry, but I need you to touch it."

Lotte opens one eye and stares at Zhi flatly. "I dunwanna."

Zhi says in reasonable tones, "Lotte, if you don't we will be more ignorant and your friends may all die because of that tomorrow night. I wouldn't ask you to do it if it weren't important, or if I could do it myself... but it is not alive, and that limits what I can do with it considerably. You, it seems, are not so hampered." He smiles, but his lovely blue eyes are not soft. The carefree, joking Zhi is not currently in residence.

Lotte sighs and quickly kneels to lay her hands on the skeleton with distaste.

Lotte is struck by a feeling of terror as she touches the picked bones. The impression she gets from the corpse is nowhere near as strong or clear as the dagger vision, but when she comes back to herself she finds she's lying on her back crying with the others standing over her. The same blonde woman killed this one, but there was no sex involved. It just took a long, long time.

Kip looks terrified. Zhi looks sympathetic, reaching to brush Lotte's hair back from her face gently. Despite his insistence on her touching the corpse in the first place, he seems genuinely sorry he had to ask her to do it. Zhi says, "What did you see?"

Lauren shifts uncomfortably, briefly considering and discarding the idea of giving the bones a nudge of her own. Her ears swivel forward incrementally, anxious to hear the story.

Lotte turns away from Zhi and curls up into fetal position on the sand. "The blond woman killed this one too," she mutters. "I wanna go back now."

"uh. Blonde woman?" lauren looks helplessly between Kip and Zhi. "Who's the blonde woman? Somebody tell me."

Zhi nods. "We can go back now." He helps Lotte to her feet again without asking permission, then moves away, the deed done and done neatly before she has a chance to complain that her tormentor is touching her.

Kip says solemnly, brown eyes round with anxiety, "A blonde woman killed someone else on this beach or near it... with a dagger Lotte found. She saw when she touched it. ..And I think we should start moving. We've been here about as long as Clairchiare thought we should stay."

Lotte looks worried and dazed as she stands. "But. We haven't found anything about the Princess."

Zhi says, "I'm not sure it's safe to stay longer, even so. Clairchiare wasn't sure how long past an hour or so his mother would be away from her tower at this time of day." He and Kip start walking back, Zhi watching Lotte for need of support as he starts Lauren moving with a gentle hand on her back.

Lotte nods sadly and walks with the group back to the house.

Lauren shuffles obligingly along, looking more than a little confused. Her look, when it lingers on Lotte, is wary.

Zhi ushers them all back to the house and through the mirror at a fast walk. The tall mirror works the same way going back as it did coming here-- a step forward into the reflection of a different place, and one is there with slightly popping ears and a sensation of cool pressure being gently broken.

Clairchiare and Steven are waiting anxiously, and suggest that they go back to the suite before discussing anything. A tense walk later, everyone is back at the guest suite for Summer just as lunch is served. The appearance of lunch seems to startle Aiden, who has already made it back and is looking distinctly nervy. Sol and Seodil are mismatched bookends on either side of Aiden, both clearly worried about him until they blank their faces at the sound of company and look up.

Lotte slumps down onto a mossy couch and closes her eyes tightly.

Lauren blurts, her voice quivering oh-so faintly, "Who the HELL is the blonde woman?"

Aiden sits, quietly watching the others enter, nerves obviously on high alert. He flinches a bit at Lauren's question. "Blonde woman?"

Kip offers Lotte a glass of wine and sits nearby on the floor, young face tight and unhappy.

Clairchiare puts his face in his hands, elbows on his knees as he sits on a couch.

Lotte hasn't noticed Kip's offer, her eyes still closed. "The blond woman is a very, very, very evil woman."

Aiden says, without hesitation. "Elis, then."

"In addition to everybody WANTING to kill everybody else," Lauren begins, trotting briskly along the path to hysteria, "there is a blonde woman who's ACTUALLY killing people and nobody will say WHO."

Lotte's eye pop open. "Nobody here wants to kill anyone, Lauren. We are under threat of being killed, however. This blond woman, Elis, I saw visions of her killing people."

Aiden's voice is edging towards 'strained' with Lauren's rising hysteria. "She's the one that I'm supposed to be meeting tomorrow, Lauren. The trap, remember."

Seodil's couch arm makes a snapping sound before he takes his hand away from it and puts it on his knee instead.

Lotte sighs. "Well, not humans. Mermen, really."

Soleil says, "Rathskeliad's mother, Elis Shh."

Clairchiare sighs. "As they are not elves, they do not... count, as such. It does not matter to the court that there was no duel, trial or formality to such a death." His face shows clear distaste.

Lauren says, "Raskewhat?" and droops back against the couch. "Nevermind. I'm really starting to think we're all doomed.""

Kip says, "Tell them the story of what you saw, Lotte."

Aiden looks over at Clairchiare briefly, looking like he's about to say something. He thinks better of it, though, and doesn't, forcing his attention back to the others, instead. "Did you learn anything that might help us find the Princess?"

Lotte stands up and goes to put a comforting hand on Lauren's shoulder. She says quietly, "This must be so hard for you. Coming into all this in the middle of it. Perhaps we can sit down and try to explain all of it to you?" She looks over at Kip as he speaks, but answers Aiden. "Not really. I touched this dagger and saw a vision of Elis making love to a merman and then murdering him... we also found a corpse on the beach and she had murdered that one too."

Kip shakes his head. "We found no trace of her, but..." he pauses and looks at Aiden.

Aiden blanches, closing his eyes and looking like he might be sick.

Steven is quiet; he's not sure what to say about these revelations. he shakes his head. "Well," he says softly. "We already knew that she's a very bad person. Are we still certain that we should be walking into her trap, or try to find a better way?"

Lauren snaps, "Why the hell aren't we just LEAVING? Doesn't this goddamn place have somewhere nobody will look? Like Greenland?"

Seodil says at nearly a whisper, "I would prefer to find another way, but I will support Aiden's choice in the matter."

Aiden looks up at Lauren, "We're not leaving because we've promised to help find the Princess and it's important."

Lotte says to Lauren, "Because we've all decided to help Soleil and we've sworn to help the prince here. You haven't though, so you can run if you want to." She shrugs.

Zhi gives Lauren a thoughtful look and says, "My home... although I cannot take you there yet, as I have promised Lyri I will do what I can to help here, too."

Kip smiles crookedly at Lauren and says, "The only ice-ridden place that nobody wants is Winter... and you're sitting with the Winter delegation."

Lauren takes a deep breath and sighs out a single, heartfelt word: "Shit."

Clairchiare sighs. "Aiden? Did you have any revelations while we were gone?"

Lotte pats Lauren's shoulder again and goes back to lay down.

Kip holds up wine and raises an eyebrow at Lotte. "Might help. Want it?"

Lauren eyes the wine with ferocious avarice.

Without looking at her, Kip says "I'll get you one too, Lauren."

Aiden says, "Lauren. Leaving isn't an option for me. I promised to help.. if I don't keep my promises to the best of my ability, how can I promise anything to the people that matter most? What worth is there in it, if it is not worth anything to others?" He looks at Clairchiare, and closes his eyes. "I met Rluel Averet, Elis Shh and Setisel the White as they existed in the past..""

Lotte nods and grasps the cup with two hands. She sips tentatively, decides it is drinkable, and continues to sip.

"I get it, Aiden, I get it," says Lauren. "Thanks, Kip."

Kip collects a new glass for Lauren and brings it to her full of wine, then moves on to act as the silent drink service for everyone else who feels interested. He nods welcome to Lauren.

Clairchiare says in a strangled voice, "That's my mother.. and father. I don't get it. Aiden? Please?"

Aiden looks at Lotte, then back at Clairchiare. "I watched, from behind his eyes, as she killed him."

Seodil quietly bows his head and squeezes Aiden's knee.

Lotte flinches as Clairchiare speaks. It is obvious that she desperately wants to comfort him but doesn't want to show it.

Lotte's eyes widen as Aiden speaks. "Oh, Aiden," she whispers sadly.

Clairchiare stares at Aiden, eyes hollow. "Elis killed him?"

Steven Bites his lip, ducking his head a little.

Aiden shakes his head. "Rluel did."

Sol presses closer to Aiden's side, silent and obviously interested in nothing so much as he is in comforting Aiden.

Zhi sits next to Lauren and slides a warm arm around her shoulder. He says, "If you'd still like to go, I'll take you to a peaceful place as soon as we may honorably leave."

Clairchiare looks numb, but not as horrified as he ought to. At this point, it almost seems he was expecting it to turn out this way. In quiet tones, he says "Rathskeliad is half nixe. He never met his father."

Lauren sips on her wine, much as she'd like to slug it. "Sounds nice, Zhi. But that 'honorably' part's going to be a hell of a rough spot, I think."

Aiden lets out a breath softly. He was apparently expecting a reaction far worse than the one he got.

Lotte mutters, "Well, I guess I saw his conception then."

Zhi's fingers squeeze a little, comfort touch. "I'm afraid you're probably right, Lauren... but at least you're not alone."

Clairchiare doesn't look surprised at Lotte's words, either. He says, "She'd never been able to carry a healthy child to term before Rathskeliad. Like my mother, and... Seodil."

"S'good." Lauren sniffs, before pausing mid-wine to gawp at Clairchiare.

Aiden says, "Clairchiare, I'll tell you everything, but.. not right now, okay? I couldn't take it right now. I promise I'll tell you all of it in private just as soon as possible, though."

Lotte clears her throat and nods to Aiden.

Soleil says, "Summer has gone to desperate measures to raise their numbers, it seems." He sounds distant and matter-of-fact.

Clairchiare nods to Aiden, faintly, and says "..I'll ask, when I want... yes. Alright."

Kip brings more wine to those interested, quietly.

Seodil says, "So. An old life to feed the new life?"

Aiden says, "It must have been."

Lauren splorts a few bubbles into her glass as inspiration strikes. "Oop!" she manages, swabbing. "Preggie magic!"

Aiden looks at Lauren, eyebrow raised. "Got some insight?"

Lauren swallows hastily. "I dunno. But if she's all about killing people for the sake of fetuses...hell, I don't know, it just seems like there's a connection there."

Sol laughs bitterly. "That's not unknown, but it's not legal to steal someone's life for your child's, either. Rather... it's frowned upon to do it to non-elves, and outright against the rules to kill another elf for it."

Aiden says, "Is there some sort of statute of limitations on something like this?"

Lauren's dark eyes go bottlecap-wide. "I bet she's trying to stick somebody else in the baby. Can she DO that?"

Sol blinks and gives Lauren a more respectful look than usual. "Yes, technically, you can."

To Aiden, Seodil says "I do not think that there is, Aiden."

Steven blinks,a nd is reminded of roses and kittentrees.

Kip looks at Clairchiare. "So. You have the same father as Seodil? Who died for you?"

Aiden frowns, "So. Elis couldn't carry a child to term prior to Rathskeliad. She killed Rathskeliad's father to ensure that the child lived?"

"Whoo," says Lauren, glancing up and over her shoulder. "This is heavy mojo, little guy."

Zhi winces as Clairchiare goes dead white.

Lotte clears her throat and decides to bring it all out in the open. "Setisel did."

Aiden nods.

Sol says slowly, "That makes sense, Aiden, yes..." Clairchiare looks horrified, but nods, slowly. "I think it is possible, but I am not a mage. Ilirith is. May I fetch her, or ask her these magical questions? We... we could be wrong..."

Aiden says, "I'd be interested to see what she has to say. Can we trust her with it, though?"

Seodil frowns. "Setisel died for me." He looks at Lotte. "Could his life have been used twice?"

Aiden looks at Seodil. "We think we might've figured it out a while back."

Steven says, "Is a life something you can divide into portions?"

Clairchiare starts to say something, then stops. Three times. Finally, he says "I think so," to the question of trusting Ilirith. "But... I can't be sure of anyone anymore."

Lotte begins, "We think that Clairchiare was... recreated. Years after Setisel died. I can explain it to you further, if you'd like."

Seodil nods to Lotte, "Please. Go on."

Aiden says, "Seodil? Remember the cats that Lotte was working on?"

The silver elf divides his attention between the two speakers, eyes intent. "I recall them."

Aiden says, "We have a feeling it might've been.. something like that."

Lotte nods to Aiden. "Frangipani was growing new kittens from her old cat on a tree. Well, we think that Clairchiare was grown in a similar way." She gives the pink elf a sympathetic look.

Lauren flicks a questioning glance at Lotte, after the 'kitten' comment, but with a visible effort of will manages to keep her mouth shut. Lotte DID say she'd explain things, after all.

Clairchiare tilts his head and says, "I'm still here, you know. You think I was grown from a plant?"

Aiden looks over at Lauren. He puts it in Grey World terms for her. "Cloned."

Lotte nods sadly and makes eye contact with Clairchiare. "Yes, we call it 'cloning.' We think they grew you from a plant, like the kittens on the tree."

Aiden says, "The rosebush in your garden, specifically."

Lauren says, "So THAT'S why he's pink..."

Clairchiare blinks, then grins. He looks on the edge of laughter, but not the healthy kind. He says with something near cheer, "Well. Just so you know, if it dies, I die. So you may have something there." He gives Lauren a bemused glance.

Sol says, "Did you kill anyone for the Princess' child?"

Aiden says, "So. Someone approaches the Princess with the idea of doing this to ensure the survival of the child. She refuses.. they kidnap her and start looking for a victim in order to force the issue?"

Lotte looks concerned. "Is someone guarding that bush for you?"

Sol glances at Aiden and smiles, in perfect harmony.

Lauren says, "I think they probably had a victim all picked out. But I dunno WHO.""

Lotte says, "What about the skeleton on the beach? Does that seem viable?"

Aiden says, "Wouldn't they have brought her back if it was already done?"

Clairchiare looks close to hysteria, still grinning. He looks at Sol. "No." Looks at Aiden. "Could very well be." Looks at Lotte. "No. Well. Rathskeliad, Ilirith, Linden, my mother all tend it. No one else. But me, of course. You have to be one of us to open the garden." Looks at Lauren. "Why not me?" He keeps smiling, glazed.

Aiden leans over to whisper something into Seodil's ear.

Sol says, "It seems significant that in each case here, the life taken was the child's father. I don't think you can use just anyone... blood probably matters. It usually does, in magic."

Aiden goes pale again, eyes wide.

"I bet she's there RIGHT NOW," says Lauren with conviction.

Seodil's hand tightens on Aiden's knee as he whispers something back.

Sol jumps and gives Aiden a very alarmed look. So does Kip. Sol says, "Aiden.... what?"

Steven looks curiously at Aiden.

Lotte continues to look worried. "Well, don't you think... maybe you should... I dunno, keep certain people away from it right now?"

Aiden whispers something back again, then looks over at Sol. "Clairchiare is probably too valuable to lose, but.. he has a twin doesn't he?" Aiden looks as though he might just cry.

Steven blinks. "Oh, hells."

Clairchiare smiles at Lotte, "If all of my friends and family want to kill me, all they had to do was ask. So... No. Not really."

Lotte blinks with realization and sighs.

Sol bites his lip and avoids Aiden's-- and Seodil's, and Clairchiare's-- eyes for a moment. Then he nods. "They're not just brothers... so... magically, the substitution might work, yes."

Zhi looks worriedly at Lauren. "You mean the garden? Who's where now?"

Moopy ducks out of hiding to say emphatically, "Boss, I'm not checkin' it out, I'm sorry."

"What's-her-thing. His mother! If she can just walk in, that's probably where she is!" Lauren looks sheepish. "It...just makes sense," she finishes lamely.

The imaginary squid adds, "I don't wanna get et."

Lauren nods crisply over her shoulder. "You're not gonna be sushi, little guy. Promise."

Aiden sighs heavily. "We have to find her, before one of us ends up getting hurt because of this."

Clairchiare shrugs at Lauren, "She might be. Shall I go check? If she wanted me dead, I'd be dead."

Lauren hitches her shoulders up once, anxiously. "I guess you really don't have anything to lose, since you're kinda already there. Maybe,,,maybe you should."

Seodil says, "Wait! What are any of us going to do with her if we DO find his mother?"

Steven glances over Lauren's shoulder, frowning, then shakes his head. Later. "I don't think we should look for her, actually....

The silver elf adds, "ASK her if we're right?"

Steven says, "Seodil's right. What do we do if we find her? What can we do?"

"Stab her in the face," replies Lauren promptly, and then covers her mouth in surprise.

Aiden looks at Seodil. "I'm not going. If she were there..." He pauses, looking for the words. He finally settles on. "I want to hurt her.. I can't go."

Clairchiare is still smiling. Softly, he says "Just tell her where I am, if she wants me..."

Seodil eyes Clairchiare worriedly and says, "You cannot see her like this. She is not stupid... she will know you no longer trust her, and their plans may change."

Steven says, "I don't think anyone should go see her. In fact I think we should avoid her."

Sol adds softly after Seodil speaks, "Which would leave us where we were. Lost. At least now... I think this is what's going on. It makes sense."

Lotte says matter-of-factly, "I think we need to make plans for this masquerade."

Zhi frowns. "So... is Aiden safe to go to this meeting? It seems as though he's not useful to their plans. His life is not either of the ones that the baby can use... is it?"

Aiden says, "Not as far as I'm aware, Zhi.."

Lotte says, "No, but they might use him to get to Seodil."

Aiden looks at Seodil. "I don't suppose there's any hope of convincing you not to go?"

Zhi pats Lauren and murmurs, "I liked your idea."

Seodil looks like a mountain range of stubborn. "None. If they are using you to bait me... I MUST be with you. It is my fault."

Lauren smiles unenthusiastically. "I liked it too. Can we all go to the masquerade dressed as Abrams tanks?"

Aiden sighs, "I didn't think so."

Sol looks at Steven. "It's agreed, then... avoiding the Averet woman. Yes?"

Aiden says, "So. I go with Elis, Seodil is with me. The rest of you are already there?"

Kip blinks at Lauren. "No."

Lauren sighs. "Damn. You don't even know what a tank IS, either."

Lotte says, "Yes, we'll be there. We need some sort of plan. Most likely a rescue plan."

Steven nods, resolutely, to Sol, then again to Aiden.

Sol nods unhappily to Aiden. "If something happens to you on the way... I'll bring the others running." He looks at Lotte. "Feel free to elaborate on that idea. I'll know if Aiden's scared or hurt, but I'm not sure what else to do." He pauses, then adds, "We're bonded. It means I can sort of tell where he is and what he's feeling."

Aiden nods, "Alright. So. First things, you should probably all stick really close together, and especially to Sol, since he'll be able to tell if something happens.."

Kip looks at Lauren as if what she said was terrifying, and shrinks back.

Steven looks at Sol a bit in surprise, then just accepts that news with no more question.

Lotte nods as she absorbs that news. "As long as you can tell where he is, we should be able to formulate some sort of plan on the fly." She sighs. "We all know that we've managed before."

Aiden nods, "Honestly, I'm almost certain that I'm not going to make it to the party.."

Steven says, "Why do you say that, Aiden?"

Seodil scowls and says, "Only if they go through me, Aiden."

Aiden says, "She wants something from me. The ball is just an excuse to get me to follow." He turns and smiles sadly at Seodil. "I know.."

Steven glances to Seodil, then Aiden again. "The question is, does she know."

Aiden says, "I don't know.."

Lotte wonders aloud, "Should we wait for you to make it to the party before we go or should we wait for you there?"

Aiden says, "I don't know that there's any way for me to be able to tell Soleil that I'm there."

Zhi looks around and says, "Kip and I have limited magic of an unusual sort. We put it at your disposal. Our main use here, I'd say, is that we can speak silently across distances, and both of us will know if someone is lying... well. Kip will unless he is frightened. Where do you want us? Can you use that?"

Moopy says to Lauren in a Harrison Ford voice, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Lotte looks suprised at this news, then scowls at Kip. "Well, perhaps you could make sure that Aiden gets to the party? One of you can spy and the other can be with us?"

Lauren eyballs Kip carefully. "Sounds handy, but...erm...Kip? How easy is it to frighten you?"

Aiden says, "The more people with me, the more likely that Elis is going to figure out that something's up. I'd really, honestly rather not give her any more excuse than she already has, you know?"

Lotte nods and says to Aiden. "Maybe he can go unseen?"

Kip says defiantly to Lauren, "Not very. I'm 42 and I've travelled a lot."

Zhi winces.

Lauren snorts.

Kip glares at Lauren.

Steven nods in agreement. "She might already suspect something. She might even expect us to find out at least some things. IN fact she might be counting on that, possibly to unnerve us."

"I'm twenty-four and I live in L.A.," Lauren says. "Gotcha."

Steven nods a little. He never heard of the Bloods or the Crips riding horses and shooting flaming arrows into Volkswagens. Lauren can probably be forgiven for loosing her composure at that first meeting.

Zhi sighs, "I hate to agree with Aiden on this, as it leaves him without a voice to us, but... I do agree. Two shadows on him will be noticed. And Kip was too afraid for my safety when I came to see you here that first time to be able to tell your sincerity."

Aiden looks back and forth between Kip and Lauren and doesn't say a thing on the issue. "Honestly? I'd rather keep my side to two."

Kip keeps glaring at Lauren til Zhi speaks; then he wilts.

Zhi nods to Aiden. Sol just looks desperately unhappy... and resigned.

Clairchiare has been staring blankly at his hands for some time.

Lauren softens at Kip. "Sorry, sorry," she says. "But can't we send in just ONE with Aiden? He's not supposed to go to a ball without a date, right?"

Aiden says, "I HAVE a date. Elis Shh. Colour me thrilled."

Lauren says, "...oh."

Lotte shrugs. "Well, then. I think either Kip or Zhi should go to the ball first and then tell the other one when Aiden's arrived. We'll know something went wrong through Sol anyway."

Lotte continues, "Then we can arrive. I'm just afraid that we'll be interfered with if we're all standing around at the ball, waiting for Aiden."

Zhi and Kip both smile at Lotte, clearly liking the idea.

Lauren nods. "Probably. I like that plan a lot."

Steven nods slowly. "I like the idea, too. It gives us a bit of a leg up.

Lotte smiles at Lauren. "Maybe Lauren should go with Zhi. That might make everything look casual. For awhile, anyway."

Seodil says, "It is a masqued ball... but we were not invited. Was Zhi?"

Zhi looks almost perky. "No, but I'll blend right in. Won't we, Lauren?"

Steven says, "How hard would it be to get invited? Or to gatecrash it?"

Aiden falls quiet, playing with his own fingers, listening and mentally preparing himself.

Lauren mumbles something about needing a very small mask and tiny ten-legged pants to herself, before Zhi speaks. "We'll blend in FINE, sure," she says. "You're BLUE."

Seodil snorts. "In a mask, you might do. Clairchiare.." his voice quiets, noting his rose-haired brother is still obviously not with the conversation. "..said he could get us masks and costumes. We can, as Steven says, gatecrash."

The silver elf blinks and looks not so tall. "...Or, rather... you can."

Sol nods. "We weren't invited, our liason is in bad shape, our royal sponsor is kidnapped, and her husband is ineffectual. I think we should sneak in, too." He leans his head on Aiden's shoulder, pale around the lips.

Lotte nods, satisfied. "Ok, so it's all set then."

Seodil looks at Steven. "Clairchiare is not doing well... perhaps you can get the costumes and masks from Sarete?"

Lauren finally gets around to slugging her wine, and shines a beaming smile around the room. "Sweet," she enthuses. "Can I?"

Zhi looks at Lauren and says, "I'm not ALL blue." He smirks.

Lauren pats Zhi's leg saucily. "Close enough."

Steven refuses to ask where he's not blue.

Zhi chuckles and leans close to Lauren's ear as if whispering.

Lotte rolls her eyes and sighs. "The sooner we get started on all this, the sooner it will be over."

Lauren gets ALL pink, and wiggles.

Aiden stands up, walking straight over to Clairchiare. "Sorry.. Got to do something. See all of you in a bit." He takes Clairchiare's elbow in his hand and leads the pink elf out of the room, into the room that Aiden shares with Soleil. Clairchiare doesn't resist, or even react much.

Steven blinks a little, watching Aiden walk out with Clairchiare.

Seodil nods. "Steven. As soon as you can get Sarete today or tomorrow, do. Ask her to take you to the ball... tell her you want to spend time with her, that you heard about it and thought... make something up. We do not have to trust her to use her aid."

Lauren watches Clair and Aiden go. "Hey, um...Steven?"

The silver elf adds, "Get her to bring you extra clothing and masks to try on, and leave here, so that the rest will have something to wear."

Steven says, "Mm? Yes, Lauren?" He turns back to face her."

Sol watches Aiden go, eyes terribly lonely, then gets up. "Excuse me as well."

Soleil walks off after Aiden and Clairchiare.

Steven glances to Seodil, looking rather empained, but he nods, swallowing."I don't imagine that'll take too much effort...or maybe she'll make it take effort, or -- I'll do so.

Lotte's eyes follow Sol sadly.

Lauren demurrs. "...oh, nevermind. I wanted to come too, but that wouldn't work, would it? Nah."

Zhi grins at Steven. "When you find out where her rooms are, we can raid them for something to dress Lauren in.. or just get her a mask. I do have plenty of paint."

Steven blinks to Zhi. "Uh... all right... wait... I don't think I'll find out where her rooms are."

Lauren smacks Zhi's leg, hard. "I'm NOT going in BLUE PAINT!" she scolds. "People are going to get fucking MURDERED."

Steven provides lamely, "Er... I think he meant painting the mask...."

Zhi snickers. "I have other colors of paint, you know." He winks at Steven. "Oh, no. I meant painting Lauren."

Steven says, "... Oh. Of course."

Lauren scowls. "I thought so. Paint KIP pink, if you want."

Lotte flops down on a couch on the other side of the room with a loud sigh.

Kip walks over to sit by Lotte and reaches shyly for her shoulder, tentative. He murmurs, "It's the best we can do... he's in good hands."

Zhi looks thoughtful. "You want to paint Kip? It could be arranged." He smiles, meeting Lauren's eyes directly.

Lotte blinks back what she hopes is the last of her tears and curls up on the couch with her head in Kip's lap. Any comfort will do right now, even from tense brown elves.

Kip freezes with what greatly resembles horror in his eyes when he is curled up upon, but gamely reaches to pet Lotte's hair as one might pet an unknown Rottweiler, murmuring quiet things probably meant to comfort.

"Maybe later," Lauren says, letting her eyes drop from Zhi's. "I mean...hell. Murder and death and horrible bitches running around with knives. It's not happy."

Lotte visibly relaxes as Kip murmurs nice things to her. She even closes her eyes for a moment and drifts off.

Zhi reaches out to put a gentle, calloused finger under Lauren's chin. He says, eyes warm but oddly understanding, "Yes. Things are not happy. And will it help them get better faster if we ignore the things that are still pleasant in the meantime?"

Steven frowns a bit, looking at Zhi curiously for a moment, as if trying to remember something. He sits down with that wierd look, before blinking and looking over to Zhi again. He opens his mouth... then puses his lips, and only asks, "So-o-o... what now?" Why does he remind me so much of my teacher? Could Teacher have been... no, wait... don't jump to conclusions, Steven....

Lauren glares briefly at Kip--as though somehow this was all HIS fault--but relaxes into a sober resignation. "Probably not," she allows. "Even still, the paint idea...ehn."

Steven bites his lip a bit. "Kip... we don't know too much about the Fall Court. While we're waiting, may I ask you a bit about it?"

Lotte continues to doze on the couch, using Kip as a comfy, if not rather rigid, pillow.

Zhi kisses his finger and touches it to Lauren's nosetip, smiling. "The paint," he says solemnly, "is optional. Finding a reason to smile is not."

Kip gives Steven a harried look as if hoping for rescue. "I'm no storyteller, but I'll try..." He visibly makes himself relax more, smiling a ghost of a smile as Lotte stays asleep. The petting of her hair becomes more natural as he begins to quietly speak of Fall life.

Lauren giggles, faintly. Somehow it's impossible not to. She curls up against Zhi all kittenish, facing Steven, and seems content to stay there for some time.

[Previous Log] [Index] [Next Log]

Last modified: 2001-Jun-12 14:20:21

All material on this site is
Copyright © 2001-2024 Reality Fault
unless specifically indicated on each document.
All Rights Reserved.
Administrated by Reality Fault Webmaster