[PLOT][PRP] Welp, time to go! [Harmonia + Aldadora]

[Menelie]

Menelie

Harmonia had arrived to to the party a bit late (but exactly when she had meant to) and set her gift, a magical metronome, on the table. She'd availed herself of the punch and then chosen a spot on the wall to lean against, sipping her punch and watching the other guests arrive. Ordinarily she wouldn't have bothered to come all the way out for her mother's' "engagement party" that just happened to take place at the same time of year as every other party she hosted in her own honor, but the invitation of the demigods and goddesses...well, that was an interesting change.

She kept her eyes moving around the room, looking for a certain young woman. After a time, however, her rowdy siblings began to fling arrows all around the room, and the party descended into chaos. Harmonia waited it out for as long as she could, waiting for the one she'd come for to show up, but the complete lack of order was beginning to grate at her senses, feeling like an adversary's hot, wet breath on the back of her neck.

And so she'd disappeared for a while, ushering a pair of "lovers" into a room and drawing a curtain over the door for privacy, refilling her glass, then slipping out the back door. She'd stayed absent from the party, lost in thought (but not too much rumination) until she'd heard the cackling and felt the lightning.

Oh no.

Sincerely wishing she had her javelin and shield, which she'd left at home in favor of this "party attire", Harmonia slips back into the ballroom and scans the crowd for her target. The one she'd come here for. A tawny demigoddess with a thick brown braid....but nothing. Harmonia frowns and whips around the room, searching every angle. She had to be here. Venus would never tolerate her absence. Perhaps she was in the garden.

Harmonia makes a swift exit out into the gardens, but finds no trace of anyone, mortal or otherwise. The only thing she spies is a small movement out of the corner of her eye. Her keen vision snaps to focus on it, and she's briefly disappointed that it's just a pair of rabbits, hopping to get away from the threat inside. Hands on her hips, Harmonia almost goes back inside, then whirls on the rabbits again. Laughing triumphantly, she scoops them up, one under each arm. "Don't worry," she says to them soothingly. "We'll find your mother."

Back in the ballroom, the winds of chaos had blown open the doors and windows. After another round of searching for the mother of rabbits, Harmonia sees a tawny pae out on the balcony. Perfect. Weaving through the panicked crowd, she darts out to the balcony, holding the squirming rabbits to her sides. She closes the doors to the balcony behind her, shutting out some of the noise.

Setting the rabbits down, she approaches the demigoddess. "Aldadora," she addresses her. "I think it's about time we left this party." She tries to smile warmly, but there's something in her eyes that's a little off-putting. Perhaps it's the influence of her father, the god of war.

Fidgit Fruffles

Aldadora is dreamily looking out at the stars.
Uh…I think something weird is going on in the party. Her backpack companion comments, his head twirled around, looking back inside.
Aldadora rolls her eyes, “There are a *lot* of weird things going on in the party.”
The rabbit’s ears twitch in agreement.
After a sort bit, her rabbit-friend pipes up again. Uh, I think the weird is coming to join us.
Aldadora hears the door to the balcony close.
“Portia…” she mumbles under her breath with a smile, knowing exactly who her rabbit-friend meant.
She turns around to see a very elegant woman, who is distinctly not Portia.
“Apparently not…” she stares confused at this strange person. “Leave…?” she asks.
Uh, my mother always taught me to never wander off with odd strangers.
Aldadora glances sideways at him over her shoulder.
Present company excluded.
Aldadora smirks and turns back to the pae. She notices her rabbits she had dropped off earlier.
“Hey!” she bounds over to them and scoops them up in her arms. She glares at the new pae, “What were you doing with them? These aren’t yours.” She feels her blood pressure rising.

Menelie

Harmonia reins in the impulse to snap at the girl. Instead she very calmly smooths out the front of her dress where it connected with her breastplate. "I know that," she says, somewhat tightly. "However, seeing as some not-so-pleasant things are happening in the ballroom, I thought it might do well to bring them to you. The one's got a bit of a bum leg, I see." She looks pointedly at Aldadora.

"Now, if you'd just come with me, I'll explain everything later." She offers her arm to the goddess of rabbits, hoping she'd ask less questions and just go with it. In case she needed more persuading, Harmonia adds, "I understand you've suffered a bit of memory loss recently." She raises her eyebrows. "I might have answers to questions you undoubtedly have."

Fidgit Fruffles

Her companion leans over her shoulder Do you want me to bite her? I can totally take off a finger or two.
Aldadora looks down at her two bunny-friends. “Are you guys okay?”
We’re fine, dear. I think this person may have just helped us though. She’s not kidding about inside, it’s getting kind of scary in there… Lily pipes up.
“Oh…” Aldadora looks up at the woman. “They say you helped them,” her face softens. “I really do apologize. I’m just…protective. My rabbits are kind of all I have.” She gently squeezes them to her chest.
Her heart jumps at the idea of her getting some of her questions answered. “You…you can really answer some of my questions?” her eyes brighten up and she looks at the pae’s hand. She gives a small smile and glances at her rabbits filling up her arms and shrugs, “You just lead the way.” Aldadora stands up straight and stretches out her wings to their full width. She turns to her backpack friend, “Hang on.”
UGH. I hate flying. He grumbles to himself, ducking his head into the satchel on her back. Just remember, my offer to bite fingers still stands.

Menelie

Harmonia smiles reassuringly. "Wonderful," she says. In the blink of an eye, both of them (and all associated rabbits) are transported away from the noise and chaos and panic of this party gone horribly wrong. This is why I never come to these things, she grumbles internally.

They reappear only seconds later in a tranquil garden, lit by soft lanterns and a few fireflies here and there. "Welcome to my garden," she says with a proud smile. "Let's take a walk. I'm sure you have many questions." She begins to walk down a path. "I'd keep your friends with you, though," she adds. "This is a place of harmony and balance, not necessarily safety."

 

[Fidgit Fruffles]

Aldadora stumbles for a moment. She is on different ground than she was only moments ago. Her rabbits are blinking like crazy, looking around.
Are we going to fly, or what? Her rabbit asks from her backpack, head still tucked down. The wait is making me nervous.
Uh, dear, you should get your head out of that hole. Lily says.
Huh? His head pokes out over Aldadora's shoulder. Okay, I am officially redacting any willingness on my part to bite that woman. He watches Harmonia with wide rabbit eyes. She scares me.
"Noted..." Aldadora nods in agreement, eying Harmonia as well.
She clutches her rabbit friends to her side, and begins to follow the strange woman.
"They need a safe place to be at some point, I wouldn't suppose you happen to know one?" Aldadora asks about the rabbits in her arms. "I was told the last garden we were at was a safe place, but apparently that didn't work out..."
She looks around in the garden. It doesn't seem that dangerous...  

[Menelie]

"Oh, it ought to have been," says Harmonia, nodding emphatically. "Venus wouldn't have asked for them if they weren't going to be safe there. It just appears there have been some...unexpected turns of events." She shrugs casually. The din of the party had bothered her quite a bit, but here in her own garden, she's at peace. She takes a few deep breaths, inhaling the heady smell of jasmine and orange. "Here," she says. She shapes a rectangle with her hands and a translucent, shimmering box appears. It's clear that the rabbits were of utmost importance to Aldadora, and not much would get done without them having a safe place. "This will protect them until we find a more permanent place for them." She sets the box down on the grass. It's a decent size for a pair of rabbits, perhaps 3 feet by 3 feet. It would allow them to roam within its confines and nibble on the sweet grass without fear from predators. They'd simply bounce off this magical forcefield.

"Just put them down inside it," Harmonia invites her.

Fidgit Fruffles

 

[Fidgit Fruffles]

Aldadora looks at the box for a moment. "Okay, but we can't teleport away without them." She gently puts them in the box. "You guys stay here, okay? You'll be safe." She smiles, attempting to reassure the pair. Trying...to reassure herself.
Thanks dear, we'll be fine. Lily, the smaller bunny of the pair responds. Don't worry about us.
She turns her head to side, looking at her backpack friend over her shoulder. "Do you want to go in here, too?"
Oh *hole* no! He ducks his head back into his backpack so just his floppy ears are sticking out. No way I'm leaving my hiding spot.
Aldadora snickers, "Fair enough." She looks back to Harmonia. "So, then...do I just start asking you things? 'Cause, like, I could ask you a lot." She takes a deep breath, "I'm curious about where I'm from most of all, also where I was going?" She begins to ponder aloud, talking rapidly "And who sent the bunnies, did they know I was in danger? Does *anybody* know me? I was hoping someone would come to me at the party, but then I guess you did." She is looking down at the ground at this point, completely unaware that there is anyone else around. "But technically you haven't answered any questions of mine yet, then again, you said you would, and maybe I'm just not giving you time to answer? Maybe I need to talk slower." She takes another deep breath, but it quickly becomes a series of short ones. "Ohh," she whines, squinting her eyes, "I don't remember anything!" She hits the side of her head, harder than she meant to, and winces. "Ooh, and that didn't help," she feels tears welling up on the side of her eyes.  

[Menelie]

Harmonia chuckles softly and puts her hand on Aldadora's shoulder to calm her. "Let's start with where you're from. You don't remember this, but for most of your life you believed you were the daughter of my brother Himeros, the god of lust. You were born shortly after one of Venus' parties, and you went home to live with your mortal parent, the faun Tafari." She pauses a moment, then adds, "I wouldn't bother looking for him...I believe he's passed from this plane."

"But I've come to you tonight to correct this misinformation. You were never Himeros' daughter. You are my daughter."

Harmonia takes a deep breath before continuing. "I never came forward before because...I wasn't ready for the responsibility of a half-mortal child, even one I could let another raise. It was a kind of chaos I am not accustomed to." She makes a face. That and she's embarrassed she was that intimate with the faun Tafari, who afterwards proved himself to be unworthy of even her mere presence.

"The rabbits are part of your divine heritage. They are your domain, your responsibility. You are their goddess, Aldadora. They've always been your charges, but you haven't always paid attention to them." Oh right. There was that matter. The girl deserved to know what kind of person she was, before her memory loss. "I should tell you...you weren't a woman of many friends before that nasty fall. You had managed to get yourself excommunicated both from your faun heritage and your divine family here in Dolandor."

"You've done well for yourself since then, though," says Harmonia, smiling proudly. "You've taken responsibility for your rabbits, which is most encouraging to see. You've made friends with your cousin Portia, and I can see you becoming more compassionate day by day. You're a sweet woman, Aldadora. It's delightful to see you blossoming into the goddess you were always meant to be."

"And so I'm pleased to welcome you back to Dolandor. My home is yours, whenever you feel like visiting. I should mention that I don't like surprises, though," she adds. "So at least announce yourself or something."

At this point, Aldadora would begin to feel much healthier. The weariness that had plagued her would disappear off her shoulders like a weight being lifted. A bit of color would return to her skin. She's no longer a being without a home or a birthright.  

[Fidgit Fruffles]

Oh...please don't faint. I am not big enough to catch you, and you'd squish me. He pops his head up over her shoulder and looks at her.
Aldadora feels a surge of energy through her body, not unlike that of waking from a full night's sleep after being awake for days. For some odd reason though, she felt light headed, like she was ill, like...she needed to faint. She heeded her friend's words, digging her hooves into the ground. He was all she had, it would be a terrible fate to squish him now. She reaches up with her hand and gently rubs his ears for comfort. That was a lot of information to absorb.
"I...I need to sit down. I perhaps should not have asked so many questions." She steps in one direction, then another, completely disoriented. She decides its best to just flop down on her butt on the ground where she was standing.
She sits there for a moment trying to catch her breath, trying to catch her racing thoughts. Instinctively, she rubs the bump on her head, but something's wrong with it. Suddenly it's not nearly as painful as it was just a few moments before. "What has happened to me?" She looks down at her hands, suddenly noticing they feel much lighter than before. She bounds to her feet with minimal effort. "I feel...great?" She stares at Harmonia, mouth agape.  

[Menelie]

Harmonia smiles and sits down on a bench that surely hadn't been there a moment ago. The garden caters to her whims, after all. "You've reconnected with your divine heritage is all," she answers. "I don't want to alarm you, but cut off from both the Great Tree of the Faun and the realm of the gods...you would likely have vanished from this plane soon. Your life source has been restored. I imagine you'll be feeling much better soon."  

[Fidgit Fruffles]

"I'm a goddess? Like, the rabbits weren't pulling my leg after all?" she stares at Harmonia in disbelief.
Not that I'm one to say I told you so or anything, but you know...I really did.
Aldadora clenches, then unclenches her fist a few times, she looks down at her hand, regaining her grasp on reality. "I'm...a goddess? I have...*power*," her brow furrows, an idea entered her head.. "I can feel it," she draws up energy, straight from the ground. It surges through her bones, her muscles, out through her skin and she gains a light yellow glow. It all culminates on the tip of an outstretched finger.
Okay. Alda...you're officially scaring your friend.
She looks at Harmonia, and grins. "Let's test it." Without giving her mother a chance to respond, she spins and "fires" the ball on her finger right at Locke.
The ball of energy flies through the air, piercing Harmonia's box and exploding in a flash of light on her large bunny friend.
After a moment, the light vanishes, and everything is just as it was.
Okay, seriously, what in the hole was that?!
Aldadora doesn't respond, instead, she eyes Locke, who's bunny eyes are huge.
She can't take the suspense, "Well?" she asks.
The large rabbit blinks, then stretches his large, and previously crippled, leg.
Lily audibly gasps. Well...as audibly as a rabbit in Aldadora's head can.
It's...it's healed? Her backpack friend almost leaps out of his bag in awe.
Aldadora doesn't respond, except to casually blow on the still glowing tip of her finger. "Your goddess, has arrived," she turns to Harmonia and wiggles her eyebrows.
For all of the horrible times that Aldadora had been through recently, she was ready to have some fun.
She cocks her eyebrow at Harmonia, "What else do you think I can do?"
On one hand, cocky-you is kind of obnoxious, on the other hand, HOLY CRAP YOU SHOT A SUN OUT OF YOUR FINGER AND HEALED HIM!
She grins over her shoulder, "All in a days work, darlin'."  

[Menelie]

Harmonia blinks rapidly at what she'd just unleashed in her daughter. "Oh my," she says softly. On the other hand, would she have done the same thing upon regaining powers she didn't know she had?

Absolutely.

Harmonia smiles, beginning to see a little of herself in Aldadora. "Careful with that finger, magic is powerful and not to be used lightly," she says, clearly amused.  

[Fidgit Fruffles]

Aldadora grins from ear to ear, seeing the smile she brought to her mother's face. Her mother! "Uh, um..." Aldadora bites her lip, suddenly finding her humility again. "So, you're my mom?" She gently walks over and sits on the bench next to Harmonia. "And, we never knew each other before the accident." She pushes her hair out of her face, and looks awkwardly at the ground. "Well, well...it is nice to meet you," She gives a big grin and holds out her hand to Harmonia.  

[Menelie]

Harmonia looks at Aldadora's proffered hand. She takes it gently and shakes it. "It's...it's nice to meet you too," she agrees with a smile. Maybe having an adult daughter wouldn't be so bad. An independent, thoughtful, responsible daughter.

"You may come here whenever you like....just be sure you let me know first."  

[Fidgit Fruffles]

"Oh, yeah, of course. I wouldn't just, like, drop in on your house or anything," Aldadora nods multiple times. "Any tips for how to let you know if I am coming. Or...really how to get here? You teleported us here, and...I can't quite feel any magic in me that would let me do that."  

[Menelie]

"Look harder," says Harmonia with a little smile. "You're in Dolandor now. Once you're back on the mortal world, you'll be able to will yourself here. As for how to alert me....why not send a rabbit?" She raises both her eyebrows, grinning. Oh, it would be fun to watch her grow into her powers again, to flex her magic muscles and really discover what she can do!  

[Fidgit Fruffles]

Aldadora giggles, "Okay. That's really fun." She concentrates really hard on the garden around her. She wants to remember this place. The last one she was at, the palace, seemed very forgettable to her, at least with the party going. But this place, thisplace is beautiful. She'll be coming back here.
Aldadora then goes back to remembering all that her mother had told her, there was a lot of information that she still hadn't processed. She stands up from the bench, anxious, and begins to pace.
"You said that I had problems before my accident. Was..." she bites her tongue, almost afraid to ask, "Was I...evil?"  

[Menelie]

"No no no, of course not!" Harmonia reassures her, beginning to see the child in her that she'd never really known. "Of course you weren't!" she says, putting her arm around Aldadora and pulling her close. Apparently she has some maternal instinct in her after all. "You were just...self-centered. Naive. You said things you ought to have kept to yourself. I thought perhaps when you came into your domain, taking care of the rabbits might teach you some responsibility, but..." she trails off a bit.

"It's best not to dwell on these things, my dear. You're a new woman now, and my advice is to keep moving forward. You've come such a long way in just a short time, learning to survive on your own and showing such devotion to the rabbits the way that you do." Harmonia smiles proudly and gives her daughter a little squeeze.