| Logs |
2004 December 19
| Idlewild |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
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| Realms: Idlewild Logs |
December 19
Steven is pulled aside for an earnest discussion of heritable traits by Ilirith for twenty minutes or so, while Lauren sleeps peacefully on Clairchiare's reasonably humble attic pallet. Sol and Aiden drift off to a far corner of the attic themselves, talking about something, and Sol looking distinctly queasy and rather... fearful.. is the first thing Lauren sees when she awakens from her charmed sleep. Seodil and Clairchiare have remained in quiet discussion together and seem not to have noticed.
Lauren blinks some blear out of her eyes. "Muh. I had a dream about being chased by cars..."
Aiden glances over towards Lauren at the sound of her voice. He quiets and moves away from Soleil by a fraction.
Lauren looks up at Sol, and skates her eyes over to Aiden. "Did I miss anything? Where's Steven? Where's Kip?"
Clairchiare startles a little when Lauren speaks, looking away from his quiet dicussion with Seodil. The no-longer-pink-haired Clairchiare smiles as he moves to kneel by Lauren. "He does miss you, I think. We put him in a nice pasture, after he stopped smoking."
Reminded of something, Lauren fumbles around the mattress. "And where's my flowers...CLAIR YOU DIDN'T!"
Aiden motions towards Ilirith and Steven, "Steven's just over there, Lauren. Kip, I assume, is still downstairs somewhere."
Steven blinks, looking over at the usdden question from Lauren after assuring Ilirith that his particular hairstyle isn't, to the best of his knowledge, inheritable. He smiles a bit and gives a bit of a wave when she asks where he is.
Soleil smiles weakly at Aiden, but does not yet move to stand up from his seat on the boxes. He nods and says softly, "Kip's downstairs, remember? We didn't want to attract attent--" he stops when Clairchiare looks directly at him.
Clairchiare frowns absently, answering Lauren as he looks at Sol. "I did not take your flowers... nor did I do anything dreadful to anyone you like, as far as I know. What do you suspect me of, Lauren? I'm a bit confused. --Is Soleil all right?"
Lauren is off and running. "No I don't remember. I was in a hurry to get up here and find Clair before Ilirith showed up and I was too busy thinking about what keep going meant, so I didn't even notice or look back and then Clair pointed a sword at me and threw that dart-" she pauses to inhale and look down at her arm- "and since then things are kind of a blur."
Aiden says, "He's fine, Clairchiare. Thank you."
Lauren takes another deep breath and continues, helplessly. "Soleil's all right except he's a complete slut and I liked his old hair better. Anyway I suspect you of killing skulkers and thieves and I'm not really sure what else but god it seems all complicated. I haven't had time to sit down and figure it out, so it's good that Aiden and Steven have."
Sol's pale smile transfers to Clairchiare, who crooks a finger at the golden elf. In concerned tones, Clairchiare says "Perhaps you should come lie down a bit while we all discuss the..." Looking at Lauren, his hands flutter almost helplessly, and he actually grins. "..the course of action. And possibly the skulkers and thieves, if you like."
Aiden gives Lauren an odd look. Ah. Must still be drugged. Doesn't seem such a bad thing. At least she's keeping things moving forward, intentional or not.
"My mouth is REALLY dry," Lauren notes, poking her tongue out. "Can we go somewhere with a drink of water?
Steven lets out a breath. She's still drugged. She's not going to be terribly happy when it wears off. Then again, I doubt she's really happy right now.
Clairchiare reaches, and hands Lauren a waterskin. "Room service is limited in this part of the establishment," he says almost cheerfully. "Gods. I can't decide if I'm glad to see you or not." The 'you' is obviously addressed to the entire group, sans Ilirith, as Clairchiare's eyes look up and around.
Aiden gives Clairchiare a tight smile. "Well. You haven't scuffed us out yet, so.."
Ilirith snorts and says, "I'm glad, and not just for the pretty hair and eyes. We could use the help. Don't listen to him, he was hard enough to convince he needed anyone else.. but now he's broken in a little it ought to be easier. Welcome, all. Welcome to the hunt."
Lauren yawns and pokes her tongue out again. "I can't hunt worth shit. Can we go get water?"
Aiden looks at Ilirith and frowns. One hand strays to the edge of his cloak.. his real Hunt. "Who are we hunting?"
Clairchiare gives Aiden a sheepish smile, far less tight than Aiden's. "If you mean turn you out... you're friends. I'd only do it for your own good, but..." he shrugs. "Probably too late. I'm hunting Lady Elis Shh and her son... and whoever killed my mother, if it's not one of them."
"Wabbits," says Lauren. "Except I think we're hunting down enemies of the Court like Clair said but GAWD they're mostly nasty and I don't really want to."
Clairchiare raises an eyebrow at Lauren and dangles the waterskin he tried to hand her earlier. "This will have to do for now, little mage."
Aiden swallows. "Oh."
Lauren takes the waterskin. "I'm not a mage. I'm a waitre...oh right. Clair, if you spend all your time in here, where's the toilet? I don't see anything."
Steven frowns. I thought that Clairchiare had killed her.... he opens his mouth... then closes it. Somehow saying, 'But we thought you killed her!' seems horribly inappropriate.
Ilirith pats Steven's shoulder. "I've been helping with the flowers," she says cheerfully. "Pink seemed to be a good calling card... and we couldn't use Clairchiare's bush, could we? Besides, it's white now."
"Silver," murmurs Clairchiare defensively. "It has more character than just white."
Grinning at Lauren, Clairchiare adds, "Oh, the window," with a straight face.
Steven nods slowly, still in a bit of a daze. "Why all the secrecy?" he asks. "I thought the court also wanted Shh and her son."
Lauren swishes water in her mouth, nodding at Clair's answer. Hey, why not? And then....augh, people kep asking QUESTIONS. She nearly dribbles water down her front in eagerness to respond to Steven. "We need all the secrecy because the Court is a bunch of torturing bastards, Steven, you know that. I mean really. And they want to make him have sex with the princess again, which he doesn't like I think, probably because he's gay or something."
Aiden glances over at Ilirith. "It's not in the court anymore is it?"
Steven rubs his eyes, stifling a really inappropriate chuckle. "Oh, right, good point, forgot about that...."
Ilirith gives Clairchiare a look. To Steven, she says "They do. But they also want Clairchiare. Roughly half of them have decided that if they get their hands on him, they can marry him to the Princess for a nice fertile union, and shortly thereafter he can succeed the throne for the good of all. At least, I believe that's the general idea. It might even work, honestly, but--" Clairchiare glares at her to shut her up. It mostly works, though she doesn't look cowed, more cheerfully resigned.
"Creeps me out," Lauren mumbles at her water.
Sol tries very hard to cough quietly... or perhaps he's laughing. Or wheezing. Or crying. It started when Lauren started in on the sex with the princess.
Steven nods to Ilirith. "I think I understand." And he just doesn't want to be a pawn. I don't blame him.
Aiden says, under his breath, "Wonderful. A joyless union. Ought to make everyone happy."
Clair is giving Lauren a look between frustration and confusion. "Gay?"
Ilirith blinks at Aiden. "What's not in the courts anymore?"
"Homosexual," Lauren supplies, looking a little sour-faced. "Likes guys, if you're a guy. Sex in the...you know." She swivels to Ilirith. "What do you mean, what's not in the courts? How should I know? We've been living in TREES."
Aiden says, "The rosebush.."
Seodil is very, very quiet as he watches the conversation... and mostly his brother's reactions.
Clair blinks at Lauren a little more. "Oh. You are implying I do not prefer women."
Lauren nods. "Yup." She drinks, taking the break in questions as a breather.
Ilirith shakes her head at Aiden and Lauren both, "No, we still have the rosebush last I checked... it's just gone bloodless-pale." With an apologetic look toward Clairchiare, she adds, "More or less since Lady Averet died, he's correct."
Clairchiare says with a touch of irritation, "Sex with anyone is the furthest thing from my mind, I assure you. I have murderers to kill."
Aiden nods. "So. The ones that keep turning up dead? What's the connection?"
Lauren stretches her shoulders out. "Do we have to stay in here? Doesn't the whole house know we're here now? They're BASTARDS, Aiden. Treacherous bitches and all that, I expect."
Aiden says, "Lauren? I know what they are. I was the one they caught remember?"
Clairchiare says seriously to Aiden, "I believe one of the Shhs is still in the city, if not both... and they are recruiting assistance. Allies. Among the local scum. I am killing the ones that choose to join their side, to deter others... and hopefully to attract my real targets." He sighs.
"No," replies Lauren with prompt honesty. "I don't remember. Bizarre things keep happening so the basic stuff just falls right out."
Ilirith snorts. "He's taking sides in a local thieves' squabble, is what he's doing... if you have a better idea, please speak up. Our side is surely using us as badly as Elis' group is used by her."
Steven glances to Ilirith. "'Our side?'"
Aiden looks at Ilirith, "Why use the intermediaries? Go after they themselves, not the underlings they hire. Surely their underlings aren't that loyal."
"Our side, Steven," Lauren explains pedantically. "Probably another Court faction or maybe the Pink Velvet even. Trying to get rid of the Shh thing. God this is all confusing. Can we GO? Haasha's probably going to come in here any second."
Ilirith shrugs. "We can't find the Shh clan. --No, girl, the Pink Velvet is our side. Also the Velvet Fist. They're well in with the local thieves. Thieves and whores..." she shrugs. "But they're thieves and whores that hire and protect Clairchiare."
Clairchiare looks mournful. "The underlings never last long enough to tell me where Elis or Rath is. And so far, I can't bribe anyone to join their side and report to me..."
Aiden says, "I'd do it, Clairchiare, but I doubt they'd believe or trust me."
Ilirith smiles at Steven. "'Our side' also means we're supporting one of two rivals trying to lead the local thieves' guild. We think the one that isn't ours.. is one of the Shh darlings."
Seodil looks at Aiden... then at Lauren... and speaks up, at last. "Not you, Aiden... but there is someone here that they might be more sympathetic to."
"...I don't know why you're looking at me but it usually means I've done something wrong." Uneasily, Lauren skids to the corner of the mattress furthest away from Seodil. "Don't kill me."
Clairchiare's grateful smile at Aiden turns thoughtful as he follows Seodil's gaze... to Lauren.
Steven blinks a little, looking where everyone else is looking. Then he shakes his head slowly. "She doesn't really know what that entails or who it involves getting entangled with.":
Ilirith considers Steven. "Then by all means, tell her... because not knowing won't keep her safe, either."
Aiden says, "No. I won't put my sister into the hands of the people that tortured me. No way."
"Stevennnnnn," Lauren keens. "Aidennnnnnn. Somebody EXPLAINNNNN."
Steven winces at the keening whine. "Erm. Well. Aiden?"
Glancing at Aiden and then back at Steven, Ilirith says, "I could probably put an illusion on either or both of you, too... but though you could help protect her from the inside that way, it's still her they might actually collect in person. I saw Rathskeliad look at her. I think he'll remember her."
Aiden says, "Lauren? They want you to go and be on Rathskeliad's side, because he'd believe you. You could infiltrate and send information back to this side and help find him and his mother.. Steven and I object."
Steven frowns. "That's right, he'd remember her...."
Lauren says, "This is becuase of that frond thing, isn't it?"
Aiden nods, "Yeah, Lauren."
Ilirith looks at Lauren. "The notes you exchanged? Yes, it is. Tell me, dear... when you met with him, did he treat you well? Did he seem interested in you?"
Clairchiare stays quiet, watching Lauren and Ilirith with a guilty expression.
Lauren nods. "He really did. I mean he was actually pretty nice. And he wasn't skeezy or rapist-y or anything like that about it, either, I mean...you know, it was really pretty okay. We talked about my old job..."
Aiden backs away from the conversation by two small steps and sits down, looking a touch pale.
Ilirith's eyes show subtle satisfaction. "How do you feel about Rathskeliad, Lauren?"
Steven bites his lip, his hand clenching a little. At least she'll be honest about how she feels about this plan, if the drug hasn't worn off by then....
Clairchiare shoots Aiden and Steven a quick, guilty look. The younger Averet brother seems terribly conflicted.
Soleil sits next to Aiden, quiet, and puts an arm around his shoulders.
Lauren looks at Steven, looks at Aiden, and after a very brief hesitation bobs her head a bit. "I think he's...I don't know, Linden says he's a sadist but he doesn't really seem like one and she's kind of a flake anyway. I kind of wish I'd gotten more time with him at the ball. Nobody else really seemed to give a damn back then."
Ilirith looks up at Lauren's brothers, quite calmly. "It took him time to hurt Linden. He prefers to move slowly, I think. All we need is his location... and Clairchiare moves on him. I won't lie, it's not safe... but is she really safe in this city with no plan in place to follow and protect her at all, either?"
"Yeah, sure.. Takes him ages to get around to hurting people. Must've been a whole thirty seconds from the time his mother gave her order before he started." Aiden's tone is cynical, but he's not speaking very loudly.
Steven nods a little to Ilirith, then lets out a slow breath and looks to Lauren. "Lauren. Do you understand what's being asked of you? We've had our ups and downs... but don't think any of us want you to walk into a bad situation."
Clairchiare looks agonized, then shakes his head. "I can't. I'm sorry. I can't let you, Lauren. He's never hurt me, I never saw him hurt Linden... but..." He looks at Aiden. "He's right. Rath can't be trusted."
Lauren clutches a handful of hair and plays with it nervously. "I think I understand. I did it once already, but...do you think he'll be really angry that I pretty much stole his wife and ran off?"
Ilirith smiles at Lauren. "I think he might admire it, actually. Especially if he thought you did it to get his attention, or from jealousy."
"They weren't actually married yet," Clairchiare murmurs. "He was waiting for... for... I don't know, but he'd waited decades." He falls silent.
Aiden says, "You."
Clairchiare winces visibly and shakes his head, but it lacks conviction. "We were friends. I thought. Then he helped kidnap my... the Princess."
Aiden says, "It was written all over his face.."
Clairchiare flinches, and bows his head. "Yes," he says quietly. "It's more or less all my fault. All of this. So I'll finish it. I'm trying. I just.. can't... find him." He sounds on the edge of tears.
Aiden says, "Don't be ridiculous. It's not your fault, and we'll help you find him. I just really don't want Lauren put into his hands, willing or not. It's not safe.."
"Can't think of anything else," whispers Clairchiare. "But you're right. I won't use her like that. She doesn't understand. It's not fair."
Like Aiden, Clairchiare is not talking to Lauren at the moment... only about her, to her brothers.
Aiden says, "We'll think of something, Clairchiare, even if it means standing out in the open square and beating our swords against our shields until he pokes his head out to see what all the commotion is. I just don't want to watch him hurt another member of my family, please."
"I'm not STUPID, Clair," Lauren snaps. "GOD. Aiden, knock it off."
Aiden hunches his shoulders up a bit and shuts right up.
Steven opens his mouth to say somethign, but winces at Lauren's snap. "Lauren. Is this something you want to do and feel comfortable doing?"
"You're not stupid, but you are inexperienced," Clairchiare says directly to Lauren, and smiles apologetically. "They're right, too. You'd be in danger, and I can't have that on my conscience. I'm supposed to protect ladies--" he cuts off short, blinking at Steven.
Ilirith snorts, and points at Lauren. "She can decide for herself now she's heard more."
Lauren makes a flapping-mouth gesture with her hand and waggles her head back and forth. "Yes FINE. Clair's a big dork and I don't even know if you two are family ANYWAY. You're not the bosses of me. I don't see why you think it's that bad. All we need to know is where he is, not what kind of underwear he wears or what he likes for breakfast. Like he's going to strangle me to death the first time he sees me. Come ON."
Steven glances to Clairchiare. "She's not a piece of meat," he says softly. "She is her own person. We can at least make her aware of the dangers but keeping her 'safe' will not make her any 'safer.'
Ilirith grins at Steven and Aiden. "She has a point, you know... and as I said, I could disguise you both. You could stay close to her, in case she did need help... ahh, Steven. Sarete has a good eye." She squeezes Steven's shoulder.
Aiden looks over at Steven and adds one last bit of information to this argument. "Steven? When I said that it was Elis and swore that Rathskeliad wasn't involved in any way? I lied."
Seodil, Soleil and Clairchiare look not at all surprised... though the first two do scowl. Clair just looks tired, and older.
"I'm not made out of sugar. I know aikido. I could throw Clair across the room if I had to." Lauren puffs herself up a bit. "You want to see? I could do it. I can handle Rathskeliad."
Steven blinks, and smiles sheepishly to Ilirith -- a look that becomes briefly blank when he looks at Aiden for several moments at that one's comment. he rubs his eyes a little. "I.. seem to recall a long talk we had about the disclosure of all information between us, so this sort of thing doesn't come up at inopportune times to grab us by the small rabbits." he sighs. "Nothing to be done about it now. All right. So he was also involved in that... miserable thing. You may want to explain it more for Lauren's benefit, then."
Aiden just sighs a little. "I don't expect you to be happy about it. I did what I had to to make him stop. I'm not proud of it."
"Could you now?" murmurs Clairchiare, looking amusedly at Lauren. The amusement goes away as the talk continues.
"I so could," says Lauren, still feeling the fumes of the truth-dart. "I have a green belt and...Aiden, what did he do?"
Aiden says, "His mother started. These are hers.." He turns and pulls his shirt up to show the long scars that run down his back. "I don't know quite what she was going to do, but I have my suspicions. He interrupted her in the middle of it." He turns back around and says, "Rathskeliad never touched me. His scars are all up here," Aiden touches three fingers to his temple, "...and on Seodil."
Seodil sighs and shrugs out of his shirt to show the group a funny pattern of ridged skin around one of his upper arms, like a high armband. It looked like someone braided the skin itself, with shiny healed pink areas around the raised braid.
After waiting for Lauren to look, Seodil shrugs his shirt back on and fixes the few buttons that close it.
Lauren looks. "That's kind of pretty," she says truthfully. "Some people get that done on purpose. Is that all she did?"
Aiden doesn't look at the scar, but he does look at Seodil, then at Lauren. "He tortured us, Lauren. The physical was the least of it."
Steven remains quiet through this. He wasn't there, until well after Shh -- and apparently Rathskeliad -- had left.
"He," corrects Seodil quietly. "Rathskeliad did that, and a bit of stabbing. He threatened to rape me so that Aiden would tell what we knew of their plans... or perhaps just for fun." He shrugs. "I have not had time to remove it yet. I do not find it attractive."
"Huh. Well, that sounds pretty much okay then. I'll do whatever has to be done." Looking much relieved, Lauren shrugs. The severity of the trauma inflicted on her family by the Shh clan doesn't seem to have impressed her much, until Seodil speaks up. "Waitaminnit. He threatened to rape you?"
Aiden's head drops, hair spilling down to hide his face.
"You heard me correctly. To be fair," Seodil adds, "it seemed to be a personal grudge against me. Rathskeliad might not rape you." He looks directly at Lauren. "Then again, we do not have Linden to ask what he does for fun on more normal days." The silver elf shrugs again.
Lauren looks suitably unnerved. "I really REALLY don't want to be raped."
Muffled, Clairchiare whispers, "I don't know about Linden, but... it was always consensual." He stares at the floor.
"Well. He truly did not like me." Seodil smiles, barely, as he rises to sit on the side of Aiden not claimed by Sol. "Perhaps Grennit might infiltrate their ranks instead; no one will recognize her, after all."
Lauren thinks about her two years of aikido lessons, and about Grennit. She LIKES Grennit. Grennit can't throw people across the room. Grennit can't do freaky Moopy tricks. Her brothers could probably hurt Rath better, but they're not cute girls. "Um. It probably really ought to be me," she volunteers, poking up a hand.
Steven bites his lip, not lookiong at anyone.
Ilirith gives Lauren a warm look. "It's certainly your decision," she says firmly. "Your brothers, Clairchiare, and I will all guard you as best we can... but you understand there will still be danger. Still... I don't see a better choice, to get this over with. If you stayed in the city they might notice you regardless, after all. If it were me I'd want to have more control over the situation, by acting first and having a plan."
Aiden looks at Ilirith and says, "I can't.."
Several sets of elven eyes turn toward Aiden. "Can't what?" asks Ilirith.
"Dunno," Lauren answers obligingly.
"Guard her," Aiden explains. "I'd be a liability. You can disguise me all you want but you can't change me and I don't know how I'm going to react when I see them again. Probably not well."
Ilirith nods calmly. "Alright, Aiden. What if we hide you? Could you watch and attack if needed?" She looks at Steven. "If I disguise you, do you think you would give yourself away when you saw them, or could you pretend nonchalance?"
Aiden says, honestly, "Maybe? I don't know.."
Steven thinks for a few moments. "I don't know," he says honestly. "I've never been in a situation like that. Then again... I'm not as.. emotionally connected to him or Shh."
Ilirith looks thoughtful as she nods to Aiden again. "I could make you invisible for a short time. Consider it." Looking at Steven, she smiles. "I suspect that you would be steady, myself." A little shrug. "Your choice, of course.. and you brought others we might use, too, if they chose. It's only Lauren we need as..." she hesitates, then looks calmly at Lauren. "Bait."
Aiden nods at Ilirith. "I would agree in a moment, but I don't want to put anyone at risk."
Lauren bobs her head. 'Bout what she figured.
"I understand, Aiden," Ilirith says with a sympathetic look. "I hate to ask for this kind of help, but..." she looks at Clairchiare, who is still staring at the floor, or his feet. "Frankly, we need it. There are some things he can't do." Her tone implies a wider meaning to that than simply playing bait... but Clairchiare does not look up or seem to notice.
Aiden nods.
Ilirith's look back at Lauren turns rather proud, and the daffodil-haired elf nods once, respectfully, to Lauren. "I think we can get the bastards," she says. "I'm willing to risk my own life for it, because we're not safe in our own Court until we do. I'm happier being not-safe and doing something about it, instead of sitting around waiting for the danger to find me. --I'll do my best to protect you, Lauren. Just find him for us."
Clairchiare un-slumps, with a sigh, and looks over at Lauren. "If you're sure," he says softly. "I'll introduce you to my guild contact tonight. her name's Kabi."
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