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The Great Room
Topic Started: Jun 21 2012, 08:10 PM (670 Views)
Jimson

Charlotte visibly shuddered at the mention of the Court of Beasts and then sat back in the chair pulling her feet up and knees against her chest. Her eyes seemed glassy and blank as she stared at the table. After a pause that seemed longer than it was she finally spoke up. "I'll check with my Court and with the Courts of Lands and Roads, but I won't be able to go to the Court of Beasts if you want me to return with at all, let along with any information." It almost seemed as if she shrunk a bit into herself loosing some vibrancy. "They don't like my court and I don't have the Blessings or the Protection to go alone."

Jimsonweed nodded and watched quietly as Telsa explained things. His eyes scanned the books and scrolls she indicated and he tried to remember what he could but with his limited knowledge of magic it was difficult to do. "Then I guess that means I'll be accompanying you then. Do you think it will be necessary to load silver this time out?" For a moment he looked up at Charlotte as she spoke ans wondered why she seemed so familiar. "Wait, another new one?"
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Telsa
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"Whatever you can do safely, Charlotte." She leaned forward and laid her hand atop the girl's, seeking to give comfort though she made no attempt to brush her mind. "I need every hand I can get for what's upcoming, I wouldn't want you to risk yourself simply to gather information."

She turned with a smile to Jimsonweed, clasping the young woman's hand in her own. "Charlotte arrived a few months after your last visit, love. It's been quite interesting having a member of the Court of Hearths in residence, and quite informative. She is...", with a pause she cast a mischievous glance back towards Charlotte and Dominic, "quite talented."

Releasing the other woman's hand after a brief squeeze she turned her attention back to Jimson. "As to your other question, my contacts among the Wolfkin are not extensive, but I would hope that once they learn of our task we'll have their cooperation." She took a deep breath and shook her head slightly. "Still, I suppose tis best to be prepared, just in case."

Dominic scrambled to keep up with the conversation after Telsa's request. He was still processing that the attractive woman was actually of the Fae, and chastising himself for not realizing it sooner. When he realized what else Telsa had said a deep shame flooded over him, darkening his green eyes as he reached for the newspaper. He wanted to argue that she should take him along, another to guard her, but he knew she was right. His presence would do nothing to help her find out information, and would most likely get him killed.
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Jimson

Charlotte nodded seeming to gain some courage uncurling into a more relaxed state. "Even asking my court is risky, I can't even guess how long it's been since the Queen has seen me, or if she remembers me. But the Court of Beasts isn't risky, it's deadly." She shook her head again as if to get rid of a thought she didn't want. "One of these days I'll find myself a knight and I won't have to worry so much."

With a sigh Jimsonweed waited for Charlotte to finish before saying "Pleased to meet you. " Then turned back to Telsa. "In that case I'll keep it in a speed loader. If they ask about it I'll just say it's for Thorisson. We are hunting him after all." He shrugged picking up another news paper and reading it's rendition of the story. "I hope they're going to be reasonable."
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Telsa
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The scream was fading even as it began, caught mid-roar and slipping into this world with its last breath. Telsa was already up and running, her mind moving out, touching, giving commands.

Cont Grounds
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Jimson

Even as Telsa began to move Jimsonweed's eyes narrowed . "Aww Hell, I felt that." Fists clenched at his side he took a step for the door before turning back to Dominic and Charlotte. Quickly he considered the implications and then said. "Get to the second floor but try to stay out of our way till we pass, If I'm right you'll be needed. If I'm wrong you'll need to be out of our way." With that he began to fade only to disappear like fog in a wind they could not feel.

Charlotte looked around the room a little confused trying to focus on the commotion. "Wow They've practically torn a hole through the local currents in their haste." She turned to smile at Dominic and before standing up in the chair and stepping off it to the side. "It's an exciting evening, first I get to meet you and now this." With a laugh she held out her hand for Dominic to take indicating she should follow him. "It almost makes being stuck here worth it."
Edited by Jimson, Jul 20 2012, 07:16 PM.
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Telsa
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Dominic stood quickly, bit off the words that rushed to the tip of his tongue. His green eyes narrowed but he turned to Charlotte and managed a smile.

"Come on," he said as he took her hand and moved them both quickly to the stairs. "Second floor, after that scream I'm betting they'll be going to the Baroness' private study."

Cont Telsa's Rooms
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Cont from Telsa's Rooms

As he moved down the stairs behind Charlotte, caught up in thoughts of what had just transpired, Dominic slowly became aware of a tantalizing scent. His eyes cut to the table and he smiled widely. During their time upstairs the books and newspapers had been neatly stacked at one end of the table, folder laying closed beside them. On the other end now were arranged a variety of plates and bowls.

"Somebody knew just what we needed," he commented, rubbing his hands together as he moved across the room. A massive thick cut steak, rare and oozing, filled one plate and called to him with its aroma. His gaze moved over the variety, and as he sat down he was reaching for another plate from the small stack in the center of the smorgasbord of delectable choices . He filled it with rice and grabbed a few chunks of cheese and some deep red grapes to toss on the side along with some roasted potatoes. Filling a bowl with green salad and a glass with deep red wine, he settled in to eat.

"Strange that a mortal child would be called here," he commented between bites. He took a deep drink of wine and then continued to speak as he picked up a knife and cut into the steak. "Wonder if he's a magic user, and just what that stink of snake might indicate."
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Jimson

Walking around the table Charlotte eyed the various food. Humming quietly to her self she took a handful of salad a few cherry tomatoes and a few of the red grapes before sitting down near Dominic. Her hazel eyes studied him for a second before turning her attention to the food in her hand. With a strange amount of care she ate a few leaves from the salad each one at a time, then a tomato and a grape. It was at the beginning of the fourth repetition when she paused to look at Dominic again with unfocused eyes. She cocked her head to the side questioningly before focusing on his eyes and finally speaking up. "Why are you so sad?"
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Telsa
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Dominic looked at her in surprise, a denial jumping swiftly to the front of his mind. He paused in eating, his eyes searching her face, then looked down at his plate as he shrugged. "I made some bad choices," he began, toying with his fork. "The cost was high," his voice dropped lower and he licked his lips before he forced himself to continue. "Some of my people died." His hair hung in his face, hiding his haunted eyes. With a sigh he let the fork drop on the plate and raised his head, pushing back his dark hair and forcing himself to look at her.

"I have my own price to pay, and even if I manage to redeem myself, it won't bring them back." He looked away, staring at nothing with his deep green eyes but seeing far too much in his mind. "They were good people, they deserved better."


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Jimson

As Dominic explains Charlotte's face saddens a bit and for a second she contemplates trying to be supportive in some manner. When he looked up at her he met his gaze curiously. She could see the emotions leaking into the flow of magic around him, the subtle play as it pulled and smoothed it out. Her hair swayed slightly as if a soft breeze was in the room but otherwise she didn't move.

As he finished his last sentence her eyes narrowed slightly and a look of concentration replaced the sadness. Almost as quickly it was replaced with a smile that was subtly too wide. "I think I like you, you've left something out but you didn't lie to me." She chewed on a few more pieces of lettuce before saying. "Or yourself." Her attention turned to the room they were in and she scanned the walls. "Which is more than I can say for some."

She pitches her voice in a way that indicates she's quoting something. "I'm fine. Nope nothing wrong. It doesn't hurt. It's not my fault. I still care about you. I like Fish" Her brow furrows questioningly and she lost the kind of mocking quality to her voice. "I don't understand how people do that."
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Telsa
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Dominic turned to watch her, a slight smile that didn't reach his eyes beginning as she spoke. By the time she finished his smile was true, and he laughed softly. "I like fish? Well, that's... different." He shook his head as he picked up his fork and knife and began once again to cut into the steak. "I spent too long lying to myself," he admitted, "and it got me absolutely nowhere." He chewed, a thoughtful look on his face, then swallowed and continued. "No, that's not right, it got me in a worse position than I was in before. All I can do now is try to make it right."

Looking down he saw that he had managed to finish the steak and all the extras, so he picked up his glass and leaned back in the chair. He cast his glance around the room as if searching for something, then continued. "I think people lie because it seems easier at the time, but it always catches up with you, you know? And sometimes, maybe, they don't even realize they're doing it, or maybe it's like you said, they're lying to themselves."
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Jimson

Listening to Dominic talk Charlotte finished off the food in her hand and took another handful of greenery to munch. By the time he finished she was looking more confused. "I know other people lie, we have to learn that quick. " She shook her head which caused her hair to sway even more strongly and some of it to stick to her lips before she pulled it away. "I just don't understand how they do it to another person, let alone themselves."

She raised an eyebrow as she stared at him. "It's not just saying something that's misinterpreted. It's saying something not even true!" The last words were spoken incredulously.
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Telsa
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Dominic chuckled, thinking to himself that she really was quite delightful. A nice change of pace, and he drank deeply to finish his wine before he replied. "I'm glad you're here, for whatever reason you ended up in this place. It's a big improvement over the gunslinger." He was reaching for the bottle as he continued. "People have all kinds of reason to lie. To make things easier for themselves, or even for others. We're taught young, I suppose, the polite fictions that we practice in so-called civilized society. And of course people lie for their own ends, to get something or achieve something that they wouldn't otherwise have." He shrugged. "It's just part of life. But, as I've learned the hard way, if you lie to yourself it just makes it all that much harder."
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Jimson

As Dominic continued she looked alternately more deep in thought and even more confused. "but," she said quietly he continued. "but" It wasn't loud but was distressed. "but, HOW!" She said loudly looking distinctly more upset when he finished. She continued to eat but didn't seem any less agitated. "I mean It's saying something that's not true." She said around a mouthful of lettuce as if this alone was capable of preventing it from happening.
Edited by Jimson, Jul 31 2012, 09:48 AM.
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Telsa
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Dominic paused, a splash of wine missing the glass and falling onto the hard shining surface of the table as he looked at her, confusion clear on his face. "Well, just, you know..." His voice trailed off and he remembered something he'd been told at some point, something about the Fae and how they didn't lie. He struggled to remember the conversation, who had told him, exactly what he had been told.

"Wait, you mean," he shook his head, trying to wrap his mind around the idea that was dawning. "You mean you really can't... I mean," his voice wavered between disbelief and horror as he stared at her, "I heard once that the Fae don't lie, but you mean you actually, physically or mentally, can't?"
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Jimson

"Words are important." Still seeming confused and mildly distraught she continued. "They mirror reality." It seemed she was having trouble trying to get the point across realizing that the concept might be as foreign to him as lying was to her. "You can distort the mirror and the thing is still there, maybe it looks a bit different but it's still a reflection of a real thing." She pulled her feet up into the chair wrapping her arms around her knees a pout still on her features. "Words are important because they are real too."
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Telsa
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Dominic took the time to wipe up the spilled wine, contemplation clear in his deep green eyes. He took a sip of the excellent wine, turned his face to her again. "I suppose, well, that for some of us the lie becomes reality." He shook his head. "Or maybe, I guess, it would be more accurate to say that we try to make it the reality. But that's the problem, I think, it can't last. It's an illusion, and like all illusions eventually it shatters."

With a deep sigh he shook his head. "But still, we try to make it work, to force the reality we want to see, as opposed to accepting it for what it is." He lifted the glass in her direction, his smile a bit sad. "Your way sounds much better, I admit."
Edited by Telsa, Jul 31 2012, 04:50 PM.
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Jimson

Even as Dominic talked she still seemed confused but was becoming much less visibly upset. She watched him closely but although she understood the words she was having trouble understanding what he meant.

"Sometimes I think the Knight of Thorns is right. Anything born outside the courts is broken." Charlotte Rocked a bit curled up in the chair as she was. "You can seem so normal and then when it comes to the way things are you seem to all stop making sense." She focused her eyes on his again. "It's kind of scary"
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Telsa
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Dominic stretched his long legs out under the table and leaned back in his chair. He swirled the wine in his glass, and shrugged. "Pretty much all of the world can be scary, if you think about it that way. But you can't do that, what good would it do to be so paralyzed with fear you can't function?" He took a drink and smiled. "I suppose we just learn to accept that pretty much everyone could be lying, but unless we have reason to be certain we don't base reactions on that assumption. Most people need a reason to lie, though there are certainly exceptions to that rule."

He paused, then decided he might as well show his ignorance. He certainly couldn't bluff his way through, and it probably would be better to learn more about the Fae if Thorisson truly was traveling in those circles.

"So who, or what, is the Knight of Thorns?"
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Jimson

"He's the Herald of The Court of Lands, and the Kings Champion." She looked around the room suspiciously. Then leaned forward to take another random handful of food. "For his court he was really nice and gentle." Her eyes seemed to have an almost wistful look. "Long ago my oaths required that I duel him. It was the sweetest death I've had."
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Telsa
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With her first words Dominic was trying to remember what little he had been taught of the Fae Courts. Or more properly, what little he had bothered to learn all those years ago. Then those thoughts were thrown aside, scattering with shocked force as what she said penetrated. "Wait... what?" He sat up, grasping his glass more firmly and setting it on the table before it could spill in his lap.

"Sweetest death... you've died, actually died? And more than once?"
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Jimson

She tapped the edge of the table a few times as she considered the words. "I've died three times I can be sure of." The tone of her voice made it sound like this was a normal conversation for her. " My memories get very fuzzy around the time of the first I remember so I may have had more deaths than that. " he chuckled to herself still looking thoughtful. "The most recent time was that duel against the Knight of Thorns. He stabbed me in the heart so that it was quick and clean. When I made it back he even apologized. " She shook her head with a smile. "He's always been a much better fighter than me."
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Telsa
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Dominic knew he was gaping at her. He blinked hard, remembered to pull his chin back up, and shook his head. "I should have paid more attention when I was younger," he muttered. He shook his head again, tilting his head and searching for a way to really digest what she was telling him. "And he... apologized..." The words weren't so much a question of her statement as wonder over the way she spoke them so matter of fact. He wondered about the others, the ones that weren't so "quick and clean", but she was smiling now. He rather liked that smile, and he didn't want to upset her again.

"I obviously have a lot to learn," he began as he reached for his glass once again. "I probably should already know more," he said with a tone of apology, "but I was the youngest, I never had to do more than make an appearance at Court, say the right things. My brothers were the ones who actually dealt with anything of any consequence."
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Jimson

She shrugged. "Most non fae prefer not to deal with us, and even the Courts of Hearths and Roads tend to avoid most interaction." For a moment the look of sadness came back to her face. "It's generally safer that way." Then almost as if nothing happened the smile returned. "Some of us just choose to learn about everyone else though, and some of us are tasked to."

She appraised him from her position and pursed her lips in thought before saying. "So you are from a noble family? One that still keeps to the old ways?" She seemed to consider something carefully before speaking again. "Maybe Telsa will let me take you with me. I don't have my own knight after all."
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Telsa
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Dominic raised his brow, surprised at the suggestion. "The Naomes have been involved in many aspects of nobility in Italy for several generations. Some more heavily than others. My own branch was more political," he shook his head as he continued, "but as I said, I was the youngest, of several brothers, so my place wasn't really all that important. Some branches are more... military, I suppose you would say. We all have basic training, but some take it much further." He regarded her with curiosity. "So did you choose to learn about everyone, or were you tasked by someone to do so?"
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