Kevin: A message appears under your door, in a slightly mildewed
envelope
that is nonetheless made of quality paper. You did not notice the messenger;
neither did any of your "pets". It is an invitation to High Tea, the
Saturday next. It invites you to bring along "that Troll" if you will vouch
for his behavior... The message contains meeting time, date, no
directions... as she is sure you will know the way. You do. The message
is
from Elidi Blayne- possibly the most powerful Sluagh in Saint Louis, for
all
that she's still a Wilder. It gives you a bit of a start: Elidi once, in
a
moment of spite, told you the one secret that you wish you had never heard.
RSVP only with regrets- but she hopes you will want to catch up on... old
times.
Furthermore, you've been asked to look into some mysterious deaths among
the
Fae... several members of the Unseelie court have been found: killed with
cold iron. The Duke is concerned, because even though his is a Seelie court,
deaths by cold iron affect all the Fae- this is according to the Escheat,
and he does uphold it. He sends a message to you via -normal- courier,
requesting that you meet with one of his officers at your earliest
convenience to recieve what information they have pertaining to this case:
should you choose to take it on. (You are the very best they have... they've
come to you first with this.)
Rob's reply- My behavior needn't be "Vouched for" [o.c.
all said with smile] I know
when to remain silent (and this is definately one of THOSE occasions).
We've done this before, just it was never with this high profile of a
person.
Jenny says- ((Well, I know this concerns mostly Kev-bin's Sluagh, and
of course neither
he nor Gregor need to tell anyone what's going on, but the mention of
Unseelies being killed is going to upset both Emil and Demian. Emil's going
to know, and if he knows, Demian will know too.
Yes, I got my two cents' worth in. Sue me. *thibbit* *L*))
Kev answered- Send word back with the courior that
I'll meet teh Duke at court one hour
after High tea.
I'll will attend high tea with Elidi. If Gregor can make it and is
willing, he may come as well.
[o.c. Okay, Kev, we're kinda like Caramon and Raistlin, so YES he
will
attend!] #Shrug# I wouldn't mind coming along, I'm sure that I'd be
called into this at sometime anyway. This goes for both the tea, and the
court meeting.
Gregor
((Um, guys, just so I'm sure...do you plan on telling anyone else
living in the house about what's going on? *shrugs innocently* *L*))
[o.c. If the nice kid asks, yes, I'll tell him. If the irate #bleep#
asks, it depends on how much housework he's done recently. #reg#
((What, you think they'd ask you, Robbie? You're the one who not long
ago
relieved Emil of all his spare change! *LOL*)) *Emil pops his head up around
Broogon one day* "Can you tell me what's with the letter, or is it a
secret?"
It is an invitation to High Tea with a Sluagh of high respect,
child.
Then I shall go see the Duke about a new case.
*Emil frowns, but continues* "Which case?"
I don't know the specifics but it concerns iron.
*His frown gets deeper.* "Oh." ((I just love monosyllabic
responses...*ELOL*))
Brooghan and Gregor, at the appointed time on the appointed day (for
it would
never, never do to be late) you arrive at Elidi's holdings. The two of you
are
admitted through the gates when you buzz in and you are told where to park.
The
drive is gravel and crunches as you walk up to the house. On your way in,
you
had
ample time to observe the house and surroundings. As you would expect of
a
sluagh's
home and freehold, it is dark; it is hunched; it looms in a satisfyingly
Gothic
way. On the other hand, it is also quite beautiful, in its way. Above the
large
double doors, on what you assume would be the second-floor landing inside,
there
is a gigantic round stained glass window. It depicts a stylized spider inside
a
circle. The Sluagh emblem, of course. You approach the door and knock; you
are
permitted to wait a while before the door is opened. The knocker bears the
livery
of House Liam, showing Elidi's connection with the Duke.
((There you go. IF you want to say you poked around for a bit before knocking
(I can't say it'd be wise, but you can *eg*) go ahead; if you want to grouse
about being left on the porch for a minute, you can too. Otherwise, I'll
proceed.))
[Nothing this side of a Nephani Labyrinth could make me want to "Poke
Around" a powerful Sluagh's holding without permission.] And no grousing
about waiting either, I'm actually patient, most of the time. This is
the Lady's place, the Lady's meeting, so we work on the Lady's time.
#shrug# Things tend to go more smoothly and effectivly that way.
I have been asked to see her, not snoop around her estate. I'm
quite
patient. That's what makes me so unnerving at times. I will wait for
her to invitie us in.
((The only remark I will make here is that both Broogan and Gregor will
have
seen the emblem of the House Liam before. Demian will have been wearing
it.
Thank you, my two cents' worth is now in. *LOL*))
The door is opened by a young woman whose mortal seeming is ash-blond,
very
dark-eyes, and you suppose pretty enough, but in her fae seeming is
obviously a pooka- apparently her animal is an arctic fox. She has a pointy,
foxlike face and general air, her blond hair is tipped with dark and she
has
dark-tipped, white pointy ears and a bushy tail which you see when she turns
away from you. Her cold coloring is heightened by the formal white dress
she
wears. However, she smiles and invites you in pleasantly, closing the door
behind you with a whisper of air and then leading you across the large,
polished tile floor. The tile is pale grey, and some light falling through
the big stained-glass window above makes the pattern in the glass float
on
the floor beneath your feet. Looking around, you see a largish entry hall.
Two staircases curve around from in front of a set of double doors (toward
which you are being led) back and up to meet and form a kind of landing
in
front of the round window, then run around the sides of the upper hall like
a walkway. The space above you is open and a huge and ornate chandelier
is
suspended a little bit above the level of the upper walkway. As you pass
under it, it lights. This is a little startling until you consider that
night -is- falling.
After tiptoeing your way to the double doors (and you do have the urge to
tiptoe; there is no sound but your feet on the floor, and even that seems
muted. Your guide makes no noise) the pooka taps on them quietly and they
swing open from the inside, opening into a long hall. You are ushered
through and the doors close behind. You can barely make out the end of the
hall- not because it's dark, but because it's far- but there seems to be
something unusual there. The floor of this hall is black marble, the walls
white and hung with mirrors. It is wide enough for a car to drive through.
At the end of the hall, there are what might be doors, but something is
in
front of them. It glitters gold and green. If you look hard, you might be
able to make it out. ((Hmm... I think I'll stop here. :-P))
Sorry, but size 16 feet and tip-toe just don't work. I walk lightly,
and
do NOT stomp, but there's just only so much I can do to keep quiet.
Move forward to a position exactly even with whomever is in front [or if
I'm in front do not back down, just wait a step probably for Kev] and
move calmly. If this Lady wishes to kill us then she would probably have
done so otherwise, without first sending out a missive. Bad juju, and
blatantly obvious too if it was all a trap.
That's exactly what I meant... you have the urge to make as little
noise as
possible because the room itself kind of... discourages it. Anyhow, you
should be used to it from living with Kev's character. *L*
Well, from what you can make out at this distance ((Kev, hint hint,
will
probably be able to see it fairly clearly)) it seems to be some sort of
chimerical creature and from this perspective you realize that it must be
pretty big... about the size of a small car.
I'm extremely patient. I would take all this in and make very
little
sound walking to the hallway anyway. The object at the end would
intrigue me, but I won't investigate unitl invited, for I am in a fellow
Sluagh's home and free hold.
The two of you continue walking. When you pass the midpoint of the
hall, you
can feel you've entered the freehold proper- a definite lessening of
banality. As you approach the end of the hall you can now clearly make out
the creature that attracted your attention. It's a chimerical dragon,
approximately the size (and amazingly, shape) of a VW bug ((*ST pauses to
hear Sam squealing "Bug! Bug!" in her mind*)). It is curled up, apparently
sleeping, light spattering off its sides as it breathes evenly. When you
get
within a few yards, it lifts its head and regards you intelligently. It
rumbles at your guide in a way that seems menacing to you, but she produces
a handful of... green jellybeans?! and offers them to the dragon. It lips
them off her hand in a way that is amazingly dainty and rumbles again,
raising its head up on a long snaky neck. She unclips a key from a chain
around its neck and unlocks the left door, pushing it open for you.
"Go in, and be comfortable. You won't have to wait long."
[ooc] JELLY BEANS! I NEARLY SOILED MY ARMOR! uh!
#eel#
[ic] Blinks at the fact that a jellybean eating dragon is guarding the
place, and then enters the room to find a seat before he is thought rude
for staring. all the while admiring how far out of his league he is in
being there. but hey, there's no stopping the rollercoaster once you're
buckled in, right?
You get seated and have a few moments to look around. The room gives
the
impression of being small and cozy despite its actual size because of the
furnishings. The room is paneled and floored in dark wood. It's square but
the corners are softened by wall hangings in abstract Middle Eastern designs
that pick up the red and purple colors in the persian rugs on the floor.
Around a round, low, wood table are the two couches, one with its back to
the door you've just entered and one facing it. There are lamps on either
side of the couches that illuminate at least part of the room. The couches
are closer to the door's side of the room than the actual center, as the
room recedes into darkness at the end opposite the doorway. There is a
fireplace to the left of the door (if you're standing in the doorway facing
the room) and a large black wood cabinet with carved doors across from it.
In the dimness towards the back of the room you think you see the outline
of
a door, and some other objects that are chairs or some sort of furniture.
((Too much description? Neh. You can tell I like it.))
When you are settled and have looked around, you only wait for about a
minute before someone comes into the circle of light towards you. You didn't
sense anyone come in, but there was a faint noise from the back of the room
a while ago... She's tall, although not next to Gregor. Then again, Gregor
makes anyone look short. At any rate, she's about six feet tall and
wraith-slender, all angles but still graceful. Her hair is black, pure
black, and pulled up, but wisps have escaped and curl wildly at her temples
and neck. Her eyes are huge and amber yellow like an owl's, but slightly
sunken. Her skin is very pale and she wears no makeup that you can tell.
You
don't really get an impression of her clothing, because her face holds your
attention, but it's long, dark, and drags the floor when she moves. She
comes to stand so that she is near both of you but not closer to one than
the other, and folding her hands in front of her, she smiles without showing
teeth. "I am very sorry that you were kept waiting. It is unforgivably rude,
but I had some unexpected visitors." She tilts her head slightly to look
at
Brooghan, and if Gregor hadn't already realized, he now knows that this
is
Elidi. "They will join us at tea, if that is acceptable to you." She makes
the last part a question. This is her home, but as an invited guest, she
leaves the choice to you.
Intriguing.
"Please do invite them to join us. It is understandable why you were
detained, but let us not be rude by excluding them." Bow slightly as I
say this as thanks for offering.
"Also, since they came unexpected, they must have some interesting news."
{I read Kev's response already, and I am NOT speaking before him.}
He shrugs his massive shoulders, the situation being completely alien to
him on almost all counts. He'll nod at his "Brother."
"I agree, no reason to count anyone out."
{Shadddap! No he's not overly wordly or polite, mostly because he has a
9th grade education, if that.}
She smiles once more in good humor. "I believe you will find what
they have
to say most interesting. If you all will follow me..." She waits a moment
for you both to rise and then turns back the way she came. With her back
to
you you can see that what had seemed like some faintly shining material
draped down her back is actually a pair of wings, like a dragonfly's,
translucent and veined, but black, and iridescent. She disappears into the
shadowy recesses of the room, not looking back to see if you are following.
The doorframe back here, you see as you approach it, is shrouded by a
tapestry; there is no actual door. Elidi passes through and holds it back
for you, admitting you into the much lighter room beyond.
The room gives the impression of space and also brightness, especially
compared to what you've seen so far. There is a circle of chairs, the
largest and most imposing of which sits next to a rolling table with the
tea
service on it. Two of the chairs are occupied. One of the men rises from
his
chair in deference to Elidi; he is mortal, but surprisingly, not banal at
all. The other chair is occupied by a Satyr man. The Satyr and the mortal
bear a resemblance that you can see.
Elidi indicates chairs for all of you. Her chair is the large one; Brooghan
she seats at her left, with Gregor next to him. Next to Gregor is the satyr;
and next to him, on Elidi's right, is the mortal man. When you are settled,
Elidi makes introductions. She lifts a hand and indicates the man to her
right. "Brooghan, Gregor? This is Kerr. He is an old friend." She then
indicates the Satyr. "This is his cousin, Gaborn." Likewise, she introduces
you to the two men.
((Liiiiiiz? Where be you? *G*))
Nod to each of the two as they are introduced, and do my honest best
to
try an remember their names. Otherwise, do and say nothing.
Nice to meet you. (Nods to each one, and sort
of half-bows in his seat)
(Eyes turn grey as he tries to figure out how they fit into his Quest.
Otherwise, he is quiet)