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 Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 2:48 pm
The sun glittered a rich orange on the horizon, looking swollen and warm even though the air felt chill to her. She had much to discuss with Rajani, much of it involving the being now moving back through the crowd. He was doing something peculiar, but her focus was so distracted that she brushed it off for the moment, intent on finding her companion.
Soibhan's head buzzed, the wine making it feel like someone had shoved cotton between her ears. How many glasses of wine had gone down her foolish gullet? She didn't even know anymore, but she had to guess at least four had met their demise in her stomach, and with not a single bite of food in her to dull the effects.
A quick flash of pale fur caught her eye, Oberon towering above those around him, but the crowd was growing more and more animated.
What in bloody hells-
With a glance over her shoulder, she spotted Llyr and paid attention to him this time as he called wil-o-wisps to the various lanterns around the grounds. People were having fits over his little show, but the blooming vegetation caught her eye more than a couple of pretty glowing balls of light. She nearly ran into Oberon as she watched the flowers begin to bud, releasing a delicious aroma into the air.
"Full 'o surprises, that one."
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Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:39 pm
Oberon grunted a quiet reprimand at Soibhan's distracted clumsiness, but offered no retaliation. She had not actually run into him, after all. He was considerably less effected by the display of magic than either of the women, whether it was because he was a magical being himself or because the magic in question was harmless was unclear. If he had any information, then he was not sharing.
Rajani only wished she could be certain that Llyr's intentions were benevolent. His weariness after the brilliant display - and it had been a beautiful show - was clear to those who were watching him. Spirit or sorcerer, the magic had cost him. Surely he would not have exerted so much of himself for something so simple as entertaining the Queen's guests. There was more to this, she was certain of it.
When the first brave revelers ate the fruit, Rajani watched them intently. However, they displayed no ill effects. Somehow, this did not appease her suspicions. Instead, she grew even more wary. Whatever the spirit's intent, Rajani would not be partaking in his feast.
She murmured a sound of agreement at Soibhan's observation before taking a proper look at the other woman. She scowled. "I hope your brains are not so addled that you forget anything useful you learned today."
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Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:53 pm
Soibhan quickly held her hands up. "I remember everything, I swear." An apple, russet red in color, dropped from the tree above them to land at her feet with a soft thud. There had been no leaves on the tree, let alone apples, when they had arrived earlier that day. She blinked at it before glancing around to see other fruits appearing from the trees and shrubs that were all now in full bloom. Many people stooped to pick up the fruit, biting into it with almost no hesitation for most. Some seemed cautious and toed the fruit with their boots and muttered amongst each other.
"I spoke to Llyr," she said, her eyes meeting Rajani's again. "I doona think I made a good first impression." Her expression grew sheepish and she rubbed the back of her neck. "Though he seemed ta warm up ta me in the end."
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Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:20 pm
"Dare I ask?" she wondered, an eyebrow raised. At the very least, she had to give Soibhan credit for speaking to the man. Rajani herself had refused to stoop so low as to join the throng of people mobbing him. She had her hands full enough without adding a self-acclaimed spirit to the mix.
As the number of people indulging in the fey fruit increased, so did her frown. Either it was perfectly innocent - something she very much doubted - or he was up to something devious and everyone was falling into his trap.
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Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 6:25 pm
She shared with Rajani what she had learned, both from eavesdropping and asking her own questions. It had been somewhat enlightening, which she guessed was all that was important. It hadn't been a waste of time.
"The Summer and Winter courts are extremely diminished, but the Autumn and Spring courts aren't even strong enough ta rise up into a higher power of their own. The spirits as a whole are not in the best of places." She frowned, her short, white blonde hair catching the sun's dying rays and turning a brilliant orange. "I asked him than why he wasn't at home, continuing to heal and support his own folk. He gave a wonderful non-answer," the Gaelic woman added with a wry smile.
She nudged the apple with her sandle-clad foot, wishing she had pants on.
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Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:09 pm
"He sounds so helpful," she said dryly. Not that she had expected the spirit to be particularly forthcoming, of course. Llyr the fey sounded as slippery as she had supposed he might be. In a way, it was nice that someone was living up to her expectations. A pleasant change, though not necessarily one she might have hoped for.
"Why do you suppose he is here, then," she wondered. "Surely there is more to it than a mere whim. People do not involve themselves in wars over whims." The gypsy paused and eyed the Gaelic woman significantly, then amended, "Well, sane people don't, leastwise."
She shifted so her weight rested on one foot and crossed her arms. "I do not like it." There was a chance, however slim, that he was earnest in his desire to help, but even if that were the case, she doubted it was a selfless act. There had to be an angle in it for him somewhere. She just wasn't sure what it was.
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Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 2:57 pm
"I doona ken why. But ya have the right way o' lookin' at it. This sort of thing is not a whim. There is a motive here. We just canno' see it yet."
Soibhan chose to ignore Rajani's ribbing remark, knowing full well that she might not ever live down her decision to help a land full of people that she shouldn't even care a single fig about.
Reaching down, she snatched the apple from the ground and inspected it closely. It looked as normal as any other apple. Not a single mark marred it, but no doubt that was because it had literally grown and ripened in the span of a breath. She sniffed it, and found the scent of the fruit quite pleasing. Apples rarely grew in Gaels, and were deemed a rare treat.
Her mouth started to water.
"I doona like it, either. I just canno' think o' any reason to help the very species that brought aboot their downfall 'afore, unless ya be havin' an underlyin', self-servin' reason."
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Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 3:21 pm
"Obviously," she said. "People remember the spirits and think them benevolent, helpful beings; but they do not remember enough. We have warred against them before, and their memories are far longer than ours. They will not have forgotten." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair wishing, not for the first time, that she knew what Llyr was thinking. Or better yet, that she was far away from all of this intrigue and conflict.
When Rajani finally noticed Soibhan's interest in the fruit, her frown deepened. "I hope you're not planning on eating that," she warned. Whatever the fruit was, it could not be good.
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Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 3:33 pm
"I would be lyin' if I said I wasn't interested." Her fingers spun the apple around, over and over. Suddenly, without any preamble, she brought it to her lips and bit down, the fruit breaking with a wet snap. It tasted delicious, but...not any different than any other apple she had ever eaten. Disappointment tickled the back of her thoughts, but so did relief. She took another healthy bite of the fruit.
"Well, I didna' burst into a flowerin' bush. Mayhap's yer too superstitious, Raj."
She glanced at Oberon and wondered what he thought of the fruit, and if he was telling Rajani anything of note. When the wolf-masked man caught her attention, she turned and watched him again.
"Did ya get any information while we were apart?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 4:41 pm
The gypsy cursed under her breath. "Idiot woman," she hissed. "Perhaps you are not suspicious enough! Eating this even after saying how little you trust him." She could only blame it on Siobhan's insanity. What better time to strike than now, when nearly every Chosen and hedge witch was gathered together? Or if not an attack, then perhaps this was a tactic to win their trust. Maybe Siobhan was right and she was being paranoid, but she was not willing to risk it either way.
Scowling fiercely, she could only shake her head at the other woman's folly. It was too late now. Either Siobhan was magicked or she was not. There was no going back. At the very least, Rajani would remain unaffected to look after her.
"I did," she replied shortly. It may be too late to change anything, but that did not mean her temper had abated. Of course, as she considered what she had learned, her mood took a turn toward the somber. Her sharp green eyes followed Soibhan's and they watched the wolf-masked man in silence for a moment.
"The man who was not a man," she said. "The one I told you about when we first met. The leader of the wolves. Some believe that he is a spirit." Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly. "Not just any spirit, either. This is far from common knowledge, but my source says that he may very well be the one they called the Wolf Prince - Gwyn, who was driven mad during the War of Flowers." The grim twist of her lips was not something that even a generous observer might call a smile. "One might wonder if he could be here tonight."
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Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 7:59 pm
The Gaelic woman looked back at the man, turning to watch him. Wouldn't it be just their luck to have such a being here? But it could just be nothing but speculation, a rumor started by nervous mouths. The tension and unease of everyone was hidden almost too easily behind their masks, but Soibhan was looking for it and spotted it easily. There was a certain tightness to the laughter; eyes were flitting here and there as if searching for something unexpected.
"If it's this Gwyn o' yours, we got a lot more problems to deal with..."
The fruit helped lesson the stuffy feeling in her head, and she decided to leave the wine glasses behind for now.
"What's Oberon tellin' ya? Anything?"
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Posted: Tue Mar 19, 2013 9:05 pm
"Don't be calling him mine," she warned. "Someone like that...I'd rather he stay in ancient legends." And she would rather those legends be forgotten entirely. It was only because of a very studious acquaintance of hers that she had heard of him in the first place. But if he really was still alive and in this world... She shook her head. Some things were too disturbing to think about.
Rajani glanced at the preening stag. "No more or less than he has before," she said. Which is to say, nothing that they did not know already. It was not as though Guardians had an innate knowledge of all things fey. They was born into this world, and thus their memories were of it. In the unlikely event that Oberon knew or sensed anything more, he was not sharing it with her.
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Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2013 7:19 am
Soibhan threw the apple core aside, but something caught her eye as she did so. Something at the edge of her vision. When she turned to see, however, it would vanish from direct sight. A strange feeling came over her, and for a panicked moment, she thought maybe the fruit really was magicked. Her hand went to her throat, and she looked at Rajani.
All around them, the voices of the party-goers raised one by one as people discovered that the fruit they had been eating was now rotting in their very hands. The trees soared above them, but in the darkness, their stretching limbs offered no solace. Instead, they looked more like reaching claws looking to pluck people from the ground.
"I feel....strange," Soibhan murmured, shaking her head. It felt as if a fog was setting in around her brain. People everywhere had begun to dance or settle on the lawn with an air of peace and comfort. Even those whose voices had raised in protest at the fruit now looked on in bemusement and laughed amongst themselves.
"Raj?"
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:15 pm
The shift in the air was so subtle and gradual that it took a while for Rajani to notice anything was amiss. But there. What was that? It looked almost...no. It was just a group of indignant ladies. Clearly they were out for revenge. Perhaps against the drunken wolf-masked man she had seen earlier? Wasn't there something strange about him? Something wrong with this ball? Something...
Oberon pawed the ground and bellowed in challenge at a jeering rook perched in the barren branches of the closest tree. It cawed and took flight, and the Guardian was hot on its heels.
Rajani shook her head to clear it. What had she been thinking about? Oh. Look there. Some ladies were on the prowl. She wished them luck. Swaying slightly, she glanced around, only to end up staring at the glimmering, dizzying throng of dancers. It was hypnotic. She felt as though she could get lost in them for hours.
Some vague, distant part of her was aware of someone talking, perhaps to her, but it was not important. The music. The music was beautiful. It was haunting. It was enchanting. Perhaps she could learn it. Sing it later...
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Posted: Sat Mar 23, 2013 1:44 pm
When Oberon charged after the rook, Soibhan watched him go with a smile on her face. Look at them play! How sweet. Maybe I should go play...
All of her questions and doubts vanished in that instant. There was dancing and food and laughter! Nothing at all to worry about! She didn't even remember how she had gotten to this party, but now it was time for revelry and feasting! Maybe she could find a lovely man to enjoy a dance with.
Rob...
Swaying, she left Rajani behind, completely forgetting about the other woman.
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