| Logs |
2004 November 14
| Idlewild |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
 |
| Realms: Idlewild Logs |
November 14
Shortly after Steven scents Haasha faintly in the smoke from Frangipani's sideways clock tower, a tiny fuzzy something goes zooming out of the tower and right underneath Steven's feline belly, towards the group standing forty feet behind him.
Aiden's already making to meet Frangipani, his concern written all over his face. "Frangipani? Are you okay? You're not hurt are you?"
Steven blinks and tries to follow the speeding fuzzy thing, almost going so far as to jump up and try to bend his head underneath him, but he ends up falling over himself for a few moments. he recovers, and scampers after the fuzzy thing. For all he knows, it could be a dustbunny with chainsaw teeth.
Lauren almost does something rash to the eminently zottable little zooming thing, but stays her hand. She also stays close to Crenshaw, just in case it becomes prudent to get up off the ground in a hurry. "What's THAT?" she demands. "Is it on fire?"
Shaking her head violently, Frangipani says "I'm fine, my boy," despite the confusing gesture. Smoke wafts out of her ears. She says, "That's odd. I thought I put it out." The mage is not looking all that steady.
Aiden walks over and puts a hand under the little mage's elbow, "Here.. why don't you sit down?" With his other hand, he's unclipping his waterskin. He kneels in front of her once he's got her sitting and offers the skin out.
The fuzzy thing flees from Steven with a whiff of desperation in its tiny, scampering wake. It's fast, whatever it is. Jerking to the right suddenly, it makes a beeline for Lauren and launches.
Steven races after the thing himself, and follows it as it makes it's sudden turn and leap. it's by a bare margin that he keeps himself from leaping after it when he sees it's going after Lauren; the least of Lauren's worries would be the little fuzzball -- unless it's a little fuzzball with chainsaw teeth -- when a quarter ton of cat follows up by inadvertantly pouncing her.
Frangipani sits as though her knees ceased existing, looking fragile and old. She's not even flirting. Accepting a small swallow of water from Aiden, she murmurs dizzily, "Thought I was far enough away... no threat... just kittens. Oh, Aiden." She looks up and touches his arm with brittle fingers and a terribly sad look. "You know what it's like, to lose a familiar? It's... I'd just gotten over... he took them all, can't find them and he said... said to ask the other branches where... oh, Aiden. My babies."
Lauren completely fails to dodge the furry little missile. It lands on her head, and immediately resembles a very foolish hat.
Far more alarming to both Aiden and Steven, however, is the fact that the mage whose help they came to seek is definitely smoking. From the ears.
Steven blinks a little, pausing before trampling Lauren, and peering at the hat, then looking quizzicaly at Frangipani. That's when he blinks and notices the smoking ears. "Rrrrr?"
Aiden immediately sits down next to Frangipani and wraps his arms around her in a hug. "I'm so sorry, Frangipani. You would have been far enough away.. except for helping us. I'm sorry.. we'll find your kittens. I think I know where they are.. I think I know who the other branches are."
"Yaigh!" Lauren restrains herself from clawing the thing off her head onto the ground and stomping on it until it's putty, mostly. She does a little spasmodic dance, in place. Combined with the hat, it's an unintentionally hilarious tableau.
Aiden's hug has a further shrinking effect on the already-small mage. She sags inside the embrace, weary. "Not your fault what some people do, lad. You're good kids. You'll find your way. My kittens, too... you'll look?" She looks so grateful it's pitiful. "He didn't give me enough to work with. Branches... rosebush... how am I supposed to... ooh. You great thing. Come here and let me pet you," Frangi murmurs as she's distracted by Steven the enormous mountain lion. Her look is absolutely, raptly fond. Her ears still emit smoke.
As Lauren's hat objects to the dance with tiny claws dug in, Crenshaw's dry voice says "Lauren. You have a kitten on your head. Do you know what kittens do when frightened enough?"
Aiden leans back a bit and offers Frangipani the waterskin again. He's hoping that maybe a bit more water will stop the smoke. "I don't know if his clue was for you, Frangipani. He didn't give you enough to work with. It's more like he left a little piece of the puzzle for us."
Lauren jitters. "Yes!" she says. "Does it look frightened? STEVENNNN!"
Aiden looks over at Lauren when she calls for Steven. His head tilts to one side. "Lauren? Where'd that come from?"
"It's not so much looking frightened as feeling wet I think you need to worry about," Crenshaw says with her usual sense of humor. "You might want to hold still and soothe your... hat." Then Crenshaw looks at Aiden and says deadpan, "It's a birthday present. I knitted it."
"Ow ow OW the HOUSE," Lauren explains, ceasing to move completely. "It ran out of the HOUSE and it's got its claws stuck in and I hope to god it's a kitten or it's probably something trying to eat my HEAD."
Aiden says, "Frangipani? Do you recognise that little ball of fluff up there?" He motions to Lauren's new hat. "Maybe he didn't get them all?"
Steven blinks. Twice. "Rr?" He looks quickly between Frangipani and Lauren, Lauren and Frangipani, then pads over quietly beside Frangipani, as he tries to explain where the kitten came from. He's mostly unsuccessful in even forming coherent words. As he pads beside Frangiopani, he catches a whiff of the smoke that's still coming from her ears, and sneezes.
Steven thinks that, at the very least, he might be able to help calm Frangipani down right now.
Lauren raises a hand to pet her head-kitten carefully. It's not trying to burrow, is it?
Frangipani's ears are still leaking faint smoke. Her mouth is not, however. She squints and says, "Need my glasses. She has a hat. What about it? Is it roses? He said to look for roses. I think. Said half of them would come to me, the other half were hidden. Hidden half has the secret." She rubs her cheek against Steven and says fondly, "Good Tom. I missed you." The little brown mage looks dizzy.
Aiden says, "Lauren? Can you come over here? I think Frangipani would like a closer look at your hat."
Lauren's hand encounters something soft. It vibrates when she rubs it. Loudly. The tiny claws ease up on her scalp.
Lauren sidles over to Frangipani, Aiden, and the giznermous Steven-cat with care. "It's purring," she says. "At least I think it is."
Steven blinks startledly. My name isn't Tom.... He rumbles an 'Ummmmm...' and tries to shift back to normal. "Er.. Frangipani.... I'm not... Tom...." He fully expects himself to get slapped or something.
Aiden stands up. "Do you mind if I take him down off your head?"
Frangipani peers up at Lauren, then explains to Aiden, "That's not a hat. She has head-kittens."
Aiden smiles at Frangipani. "I know. This one apparently came from your tower."
Steven receives a sad look when he changes back. The little mage rubs her cheek against him again, then slumps. "It's just not the same." Squinting at Aiden, she brightens and holds out her hands hopefully. To him. "May I have it then, before my head explodes?" She sounds very matter-of-fact.
Aiden doesn't wait for Lauren's permission when Frangipani starts talking about things exploding. She wasn't kidding about that last time, either. He takes the cat, carefully, and sits back down, handing it to the little mage.
Steven winces visibly to see Frangipani so despirited, and tries to go back to feline shaope, settling down and leaning against her worriedly.
Lauren smooths her hair back down. "Cute," she notes, when she can see her former head-beastie with a little more clarity.
The tiny cat wails and flashes bright red and orange in sequence-- not actually glowing, but a complete color change. It stops both noise and flashing when handed to Frangipani, who beams as it purrs. A tear runs down her wrinkled face. "Thank you," she says quietly. When Steven changes, she sighs and leans against him. He's three times her size. The smoke coming out of her ears has increased. She murmurs, "Not enough time. Hellebore's too far away."
When not brightly colored, the kitten is a very ordinary tabby.
Aiden's looking increasingly concerned, "Not enough time for what, Frangipani?"
"Where IS it?" Lauren looks anxiously at Frangipani and at the house. "Hellebore? Could get some..." She squints. She could MAYBE get in there and back before Frangi's head goes boom. Doesn't want to be standing so close if it does, either.
"Before my head explodes," sighs the mage. "Had to stop the fire, but I'm really not very good at that. Did it the hard way." She waves her heads aimlessly, then taps her head. And coughs a little smoke. "Has an effect. Heh heh. He'll be pissed I didn't finish his message. Serves the bastard right, eh? Betcha he didn't know this would happen. Cock." She cackles smokily. "And they used to call me hotheaded."
Aiden's voice wavers a bit when he says, "Lauren? I don't know what it is, or I'd go.. can you please go and try to get it?"
Steven blinks, looking uop at the mage. he does not like the sound of this. One of the few people they came to really like and trust here in this world....
Lauren nods hastily and a few seconds later ZOOMS off toward the house. Nobody can run that fast, but she does.
Aiden says, "Can you tell us what the message was supposed to be Frangipani? Lauren's gone to get the hellebore.. She's a fast runner, just hold on.. here.." he presses the waterskin into her hands again. "Drink more of this..""
It's smoky in the tower, but not getting any worse. Lauren can see mostly clearly except up toward the ceiling. It's wall to wall furry carpeting, and-- yes, that's a lava lamp. And a Felix cat clock... and a padded leather door.
"Spice cabinet WHERE is the fucking spice cabinet?" Lauren knocks over furniture and scuffs hell out of the carpet as she darts around. The ineffable tastelessness of the decor is briefly noted and as speedily discarded as being Not Hellebore. Might come back later for the lava lamp though.
Frangipani squints at Aiden. "Message? Hard to think, my boy. Something about you can't get blood out of a rose... oh. No. You can get blood out of a rose, he said. Like that was a bad thing. Laughed and said the branches would know what to do with a bloody rose, or else... else.... ahh. Hard to think."
The little mage adds irritably, "Roses don't even grow on trees."
Aiden says, "Drink, please.. Hold on, Frangipani.. she's coming back.. just stay with us, please.."
Lauren bursts into a kitsch-filled kitchen and there, by all that is beautiful, is a spice rack replete with bottles.
Frangipani does drink, for Aiden, and hugs her kitten and Steven to her. "I'd give you anything to keep your lovely great Tom," she says hopefully.
Then she wilts. "Not that it matters now. Where was I?"
Aiden squeezes his eyes shut. "Roses don't grow on trees."
"Bush," says Frangi gleefully. "I knew it."
Hallelujah! SpicerackspicerackSPICE RACK! Lauren goes through the bottles in a fit, chucking most things that fail to be hellebore over her shoulder or into a corner.
Aiden says, simply, "oh no.."
Some of the names aren't written in anything Lauren can read at all. She chucks one of those over her shoulder right before she finds the hellebore. Then something hits the floor and explodes behind her in a shower of angry glass. The timing was just right for it to have been a spice bottle.
Steven blinks a little, not quite getting it just yet. The only thing that he can still think of is the kittens in the rosebush that Lotte told them about...
Aiden turns a distressed look up at Seodil. "Haasha's got your brother."
Steven makes a tiny sound, resting his head on Frangipani's leg, then his eyes shoot over to Aiden, blinking in alarm.
Lauren makes a surprised noise of pain as something slices hell out of her knee. It takes her a few seconds to check what it was, and to fish the glass out--god willing she got it all--and then to get out of there with all speed. It's harder to zoom with a stinging gash on a joint.
Seodil turns a dirty white, face bloodless.
"There's a good girl," murmurs Frangipani as Lauren zooms up. "Will you take my kitten when I go?"
Aiden looks confused. He thought the hellebore was to help Frangipani.. where's she going?
"Not long now," Frangipani mutters. "Good old Tom. You and your friends had best get back before I splatter."
"Hellebore," Lauren insists, waving the bottle in front of Frangi's raisin face. "LOOK."
The mage hugs Steven the cat tight despite her words. Lauren's waving gets widened eyes and a wrinkled grin. "Well. Open him up, we haven't got much time, eh? Unless you really want that kitten."
The bottle is stoppered by a cork.
Aiden backs right off, getting out of the way so he doesn't slow the help down in any way..
Lauren obediently cranks the cork out of the bottle of hellebore. It's going to explode. She KNOWS it.
It does in fact explode. Or at least, light fountains upwards in a shower of sparks as big and bright as fireworks. As they fall around the entire party, everything wavers and goes dizzy... and then the lot of them are standing not on a grassy hillside, but in a stone courtyard. City buildings rise several stories overhead. The architecture looks oddly familiar to Aiden and Steven.
"Get Hellebore. He'll know what to do," mutters Frangi, and her eyes slide shut as she smokes a little more furiously from the ears.
Aiden shakes. They're back in Summer.
"Whaaaa...?" lauren gapes around. "Where what? Hellebore something what the?"
A silk-clad young man stares at the rather large group from a courtyard-facing window on the second story. "Frannie?" he says in tones of disbelief.
Steven blinks, straightening and looking around sharply. What just happened?! Then, Oh Pelor...! We're in Summer! He cleaves a bit closer to Frangipani, looking to Aiden -- forget it, Aiden's out. Lauren doesn't know what to look for. He scrambles away from Frangipani, trying to remember a way, any way, to find this Hellebore person, any Summer elf at all should know him. He doesn't waste time, though he tries not to get himself lost. he remembers to shift back to something closer to a bipedal form if he's going to be talking quickly. "I'll be right back," he says quickly to Frangi, then is off.
Steven stops short, looking up at the man. "Are you Hellebore?" he calls up, probably sounding as frantic as he is.
"Yes...." says the clean-cut young man in the window. Eyeing Steven the shapeshifter. "Do you... need me?"
Steven bobs his head quickly. "It's.. it's Frangipani! She's in trouble... somethign about a fire,, smoke coming from her ears, lost her familiar...?" The words kind of gush out.
Aiden moves back towards the little mage now that he's not risking being in the way. His first thought is to defend her. Summer elves can't be trusted.
"No, oh dear--" Hellebore cuts himself off. He climbs up into the windowsill. "Can someone catch me? Too far to the stairs from here! Bloody builders." He's perfectly proportioned, but a very small man, maybe four feet tall. Definitely not an elf. His feet are oversized and bare... and practically furry.
Steven blinks, and whimpers a little, moving quickly to try and catch him, bracing himself.
Silently, Soleil moves to Aiden's side and takes his hand.
Hellebore jumps lightly out of the window, and Steven.. just.. kind of... misses. The half-sized little man yelps as he slides through Steven's arms, hits flagstone with those big feet, and something audibly crunches. He doesn't say a word of reproach, though, just gasps "Help me over to her," and limps toward Frangi leaning on Steven.
Steven winces. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry....!" he stammers, helping him and all but carrying him over to Frangipani.
Kneeling by Frangipani's side, the little man puts his fingers over as much of her head as he can, hands glowing faintly blue. The smoke stops, and he slumps over Frangipani's unconscious body, breathing hard. After a few moments, he looks up and says with obvious curiousity, "Where did you come from? --I'm sorry. I'm a terrible host. Won't you come in and sit down? She'll need a few days to recover, but I have room for you. No students right now, it's semester break." His wide hazel eyes are guileless.
Steven lets out a breath. "We came from Frangipani's tower. Oh, I'm so so sorry, Sir, honest. I... " He sighs. "Here... let me carry you back in, erm.. and.. try to help... somehow.
Lauren blinks. Jesus fucking Christ, she decides. It's a hobbit. It's SO going to offer us tea. Oh my god.
Aiden stands up and carefully picks the unconscious Frangipani up.
Seodil moves to Aiden's other side, not touching but solidly there. The silver elf looks around, eyes lingering on all the exits.
"Hey um," says Lauren, raising a hand. "Where are we? This isn't the Fall city, is it?"
Aiden's voice is oddly empty when he speaks. "We're back in Summer, Lauren."
"No," says Zhi. Ayali echoes it a moment later, dying off as Aiden explains.
Lauren rubs the back of her knee with a wince. "Then are we fucked? Honestly?"
Aiden just shrugs.
Steven glances to Aiden. "No, we're not," he says quietly. "We'll be fine."
Aiden just gives Steven a steady look for a moment, then nods.
Steven returns the look equally steadilly and without any sign of doubt.
Hellebore, cradled in Steven's arms like a ventriloquism dummy, directs them all up the stairs and into what he explains chatteringly is a school. His school. They settle in a threadbare but comfortable room that looks like a library. Crenshaw is included in the gathering. Hellebore says cheerfully, "It's all right, I'll heal as soon as I catch the breath to do it... now, where was I? Oh, yes. You're all very welcome here, you've just saved my teacher. I'm rather fond of her, you know. Do try to stay indoors at night? There's been a bit of trouble lately, duelling in the streets..."
Steven blinks, and sighs to himself. Great. Last thing I need is to be so blatantly proven wrong. First I drop this guy, now he's saying we're not going to be okay here. Oh, well. I gues it's my karma kicking in.
Aiden looks around for somewhere comfortable to put Frangipani, setting her down carefully when he does. He sits down on the floor next to the seat he settled her on.
Soleil looks dazed, unsteady, and very worried. His hold on Aiden's upper arm is tight.
Frangipani slumps peacefully in the loveseat where Aiden placed her.
Hellebore seems to notice Steven's sigh, and says hastily, "No, no, you should be fine indoors. They only seem to be fighting amongst themselves. Dreadful people really, better off without them. Thieves and villains, all."
"Dueling?" Lauren asks quizzically. She didn't remember Summer being much of a place for duels, except that one the Court sprung on Aiden. "We're not even supposed to be here. We just jumped about a Season and a half away from where we were going, didn't we?"
Hellebore nods to Lauren, "You're in Summer, and yes, duelling. The local, ah... authorities seem to be having a dispute. That seems more likely than someone with a personal grudge, at any rate." He chuckles. "One side is definitely winning. All the bodies found were laid out very neatly, holding a rose."
Seodil visibly startles. Hellebore gives him a nervous look.
Soleil holds Aiden's arm more tightly.
Aiden reaches, blindly, for Seodil's hand.
Lauren does not understand this. But the people who do look scared, and that's enough. "...we should go."
Seodil catches and holds the reaching hand firmly. "What color roses?" he asks, quietly.
Steven frowns deeply.
"That's the odd thing," Hellebore says with a certain macabre interest. "Pink. Not the usual color one chooses to be dramatic. I'd have chosen white or red, or black, but pink? Odd message, that. The Watch can't figure it out. Latest theory is that it might be a feud started over love."
Steven blinks, swallowing. Clairchiare.... Hells. Is Haasha making Clairchiare do something?
Aiden says, quietly, "Who?" I don't want to know.. but I do.
"Aigh Clairchiare," blurts Lauren. "The hell? He doesn't kill people."
"I can't go," Seodil says softly, almost to himself. "I have to find him." He winces and glares at Lauren.
Steven gently puts a hand on Lauren's shoulder. "We'll figure out what's going on," he says quietly, looking to Seodil. "We all will."
Aiden whispers, "I'm not leaving you. We'll find him. Maybe he doesn't have your brother yet.. he might be after the rosebush. He's in danger."
"Clairchiare?" says Hellebore with interest. "Who's that?" Looking at Aiden, he shrugs helplessly. "I don't know who, nobody does."
Seodil nods, and says quietly back, "If we find nothing here, I must go to Court to protect it..."
Aiden clarifies. "The victims." He adds, to Seodil. "You're not going alone."
Lauren blinks. "Um. How BIG was the rosebush in question, and how many dead people had pink roses? Are we talking lots?"
Hellebore murmurs something and passes his hands over his feet. He looks happy and relaxed when he straightens, and turns to answer Aiden. "The victims are almost all wanted criminals. Thieves, murderers... a shopkeeper here and there. How many, my Lady? Oh... hm. Perhaps twenty-two, by now? Likely twenty-three by tonight or tomorrow," he amends.
Aiden nods. "Thank you." The Knight turns vigilante.
Seodil gives Aiden a grateful look.
Obviously I'm missing something. This almost sounds like Clair's turned into Batman. Lauren nods. "Wow. He's, um, been busy."
"It could be a woman," Hellebore says cheerfully. "Even for an elf, pink roses seem a little... well... you know." He winks. "Girly."
Steven frowns thoughtfully as he takes all this information in.
"Avenging the wrongs done to her sex in the seamy underworld with a sword that flashes in the night..." Hellebore murmurs wistfully, eyes suspiciously... dreamy.
Lauren snorts. "Her?"
Steven blinks, breaking from his reverie to look oddly at hellebore. Well, he's certainly Frangipani's student...
Aiden glances at Seodil, then at Soleil. Said I'd go to hell and back for you two. Looks like I'm going to be held to that promise. Welcome to Hell, Aiden. Or, rather.. welcome back.
Hellebore says a little stiffly to Lauren, "Why not?"
Lauren explains everything happily enough. "Clair's a guy. And he USED to have pinkpink hair, before he cut it, and he wears pink and purple and somehow he still likes women."
Soleil moves close enough to Aiden's side that you couldn't get a piece of paper between their shoulders, face drawn and pale... until Lauren speaks and he looks worse yet, utterly horrified.
Steven murmurs softly, "Lauren... please, not so much information to someone we don't know. We don't want to get questioned by the police here. I think they still ahve unfond memories of your car, for example."
Aiden is more blunt. "Lauren. Shut up, you're going to get us all killed."
Steven grimaces. What better way to make someone even more suspicious, he has no idea.
"By him?" Lauren points at Hellebore for Aiden's benefit. "I don't think so. Look, maybe he can help us make connections between stuff. If we're playing detective, anyway."
Hellebore says uncertainly, "What's this about getting killed...?"
Steven lets out a breath. "Well. He -is- Frangipani's student. For now, though, we shoudl take his advice and lie low anyway. We need to talk and figure out what to do." He looks to Frangipani. "And find out what happened to her.
Steven frowns, looking around to take a quick headcount. is everyone there?
Aiden gives Lauren a steady look. Yeah. He's small and harmless looking. So was Elis. He looks at Hellebore. "Just a little melodramatics between old friends.. I was exaggerating to get a point across."
Everyone is there for Steven's headcount, including the horse. It's quite a crowd.
Lauren watches Aiden coolly. She doesn't buy it.
Hellebore laughs. Nervously. Flashes a smile and says, "Well, I'm sure you're all hungry. I'll go tell the kitchens and get you some room keys?" and slides off his chair, padding toward the doorway to the stairs.
Steven turns to Hellebore. "We're grateful for your hospitality, sir. Thank you. Frangipani was.. trying to tell us somethign when we found her. And she's been a good friend to us. Will she be all right?
Aiden shrinks a bit in his place, slumping.
Lauren rubs Crenshaw's shoulder. "He said she'd be fine in a few days. Maybe her brain got a little cooked."
Hellebore nods. "She should be fine when she wakes up," he says more firmly than the offer to go get them dinner. "It's happened before. She just can't deal with fire spells without internalizing it." He shakes his head, clicking his tongue sadly.
Then the little man slips off down the stairs, words trailing behind him. "I hope a few of you don't mind basement rooms..."
Steven nods quietly. "Mmm. So she was trying to prevent some kind of fire spoell from being cast, or trying to ... counter it?
Cold fear knifes through Aiden. Outwardly, his eyes widen and his breath catches in his throat.
"Absorbed it, Steven," says Lauren as though she knows all about these things. "The energy has to go somewhere."
Beside Aiden, Soleil stiffens and turns paler, looking really unhealthy.
Seodil quietly moves to rest his arm across Aiden's shoulders.
Steven looks at Lauren, a little surprised, but nods a little, thinking. "All right." he glances to Aiden. "I'll take the basement room. My sibling here needs fresh air, if possible.
Frangipani murmurs in her apparent sleep, "Blood from a rose and the rose is dry... from cold to hot the branches fly. Paler and paler the rosebud lies. Seek, ye shall find... the time is nigh."
And then she quiets again, eyes shut and peacefully slumped in her chair.
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