agentlelog | just when the ocean starts to dry (closed)

Just Fayura is fine. [She wears a faint, almost indulgent smile.] I prefer to keep things informal when I'm not holding court.

[And that informality surrounds them. If Fayura has a guard (she does), he cannot be seen (he's shielded, of course). The people of Draega don't pay all that much attention to her presence, either. As she and Piper walk along the broad streets of the Bazaar, not a single person drops what they're doing to bow or scrape. A few call out to her in the way friends do when passing on a street, but little more.]

It's, um, a pleasant day for a walk, and I prefer to be outside, even when it remains cool.

[She's a little awkward, too. Small talk has never been particularly easy for her.]

[ Piper has not had much interaction with Draega's queen, but in their psychic thread she found Fayura thoughtful, reflective, and open. She knows that Fayura took the risk of bringing Strangers here to try and find a way to bridge the gap between landen and Blood. She's sensed, and she believes, that Fayura's intentions are for the good... for Draega. She doesn't feel as if she's been used or manipulated in coming here, but it's a troublemaker's instinct to try to avoid the eye of authority for as long as possible. (It's Piper instinct to avoid... any attention for as long as possible.) The only reason why she's spoken with Fayura in the past is because she'd thought offering her opinion on the young man who'd murdered the Blood witch was important, because she was trying to understand.

And if that was important, how much more was finding out what happened to Jason?

Piper wanted to just rush in and ask, but she also couldn't afford to blow it. She knows her perceptions are probably a little tainted by so vividly experiencing Verim's connection with his queen. It'd be best to try to get the other woman's measure on her own, if she can.

She doesn't really feel inclined to small talk. But Piper feels as though Fayura is making an effort, and perhaps a little uncomfortable with the situation as well, and so she wants to try to set her a little bit at ease. ]

Is that to do with the Blood's connection with nature? Lord Verim was telling me a little about that at the festival. [ She gives Fayura a quick smile, brief and almost conspiratorial. ] Or just... not having to deal with the walls?

[ And the Fussing. She's noticed that there is a lot of Fussing. ]

[Verim told this young witch about the Blood's connection to the land? That isn't information Fayura can easily brush aside. No, if Verim trusts someone with that information, then Fayura can be at ease in that person's presence. Or, at the very least, slightly less on guard. Not easy for someone who has grown up in a broken, blasted world.]

A bit of both. After my Offering, I spent many years inside. They were good years, but I like the wind. And where other Queens garden often, I find I don't have much luck with flowers or plants. Being outside, among the people and with the land, is how I make up for that.

[She glances around before giving Piper a conspiratorial smile. Leaning just a bit closer, she points at her feet.]

Those shoes are an illusion. I'm actually barefoot.

[Since she can't connect to the land by gardening, she spends most of her time barefoot in the streets.]

My feet are shielded, of course. The boyos get snarly when I don't shield. [She snorts.] Allairavar gets particularly snarly.

[ Piper smiles a little, listening to Fayura's confession. She likes the wind too. And she listens carefully and doesn't miss the fact that the queen spent years inside. Why was that? Was she sick? Time might not mean the same thing to someone as long-lived as Verim or Fayura, but years were still years. ]

...I wish I could make heels an illusion. [ Torture devices, Piper is convinced. But... she's been involved in too many unexpected fights to want to walk around barefoot, even if shielded. A good boot could do a lot of damage, if need be. ] ...well, not really. Only if I had to wear them. [ Which, thankfully, she does not! So. ]

Prince Allairavar is good at snarly. [ He'd been kind enough when she'd approached him to continue her lessons in the morning even after moving out, and Piper swallows convulsively. Now that Jason was... gone... she was going to have to speak with Allairavar again, most likely, and take him up on his offer. Even though Piper insisted on fighting her own battles, with Jason here, she'd felt she had a safe place to run. Now she had to grow stronger, be better, not only to take care of herself and those around her as she'd been motivated before, but because without Jason... there was no back-up plan. There was no safe place. She'd have to do it on her own, she'd have to make sure she could be there for Leo and for anyone else.

She has to bite her cheek to keep from asking Fayura now, now, now. ] So that sounds like a good compromise. Especially since we're walking on stone.

[ And... who knows what else, honestly? ]

Edited 2019-04-17 20:37 (UTC)

[Fay laughs, the sound bright and warm. While she doesn't mind dressing up, she certainly understands the sentiment.

As the laughter fades, she studies Piper's face and needs no sense of Craft or psychic scents to tell the young witch is upset about something. Some of her friends have gone recently. Perhaps it's that. Perhaps it's something else. But Fayura doesn't inquire—she has learned not to court other people's troubles, but she also understands the importance of finding the strength to communicate one's troubles on one's own.]

I have tough feet. Too many years spent in places where shoes are only for the important people. Ah, just a moment.

[She draws to the side of the street as a young landen girl comes running toward her. Fayura crouches before the girl, palm held up between them. She calls in a stoppered bottle.]

This is the medicine for your brother. Remember how much?

[The young girl nods. "Two spoonfuls in the morning and at night. Thank you, Lady!" She takes the bottle, throws her arms around Fayura's neck, and then darts off again.

Fayura rises, smoothing her hands down her trousers, and gives Piper a shy little smile.] It seemed smart to cast two spells at once. [Which seems to be her way of saying "kill two birds with one stone."] I hope you don't mind.

[ If this is an act, Piper isn't picking up on it. And she is usually good with that sort of thing, usually able to discern if someone is having her on or meeting her with mixed motives. She's had a lot of practice and she has good instincts.

She knows that Verim's perceptions of Fayura are still a possibly too informative factor in her judgement of the queen, but well -- why shouldn't they be? Why shouldn't the fact that this woman was someone Verim found worthy of loyalty and respect and love be a factor in her evaluation?

Fayura seemed genuine, and her smile was shy and something in Piper's responds to that. She's been passed over many times, penciled in by the person who should have been caring for her, conversations relegated to a game or absolutely no more than two minutes. Fayura, on the other hand, owes her nothing. And Piper senses more of a desire to connect than she's had from her father, many times. ]

No, of course I don't mind. [ Her gaze tracks the little girl for a moment. ] Is her brother going to be okay?

[Obvious relief washes across her face. Her court—especially Loren, Verim, and Allairavar—understands her need to help the people in Draega. Others find her attempts to multitask frustrating, a sign she isn't paying enough attention to them. She understands that, but time is short, there is much to do, and not everyone is willing to tolerate her busyness.

Fay nods, smiling after the girl.]

He has a sickness in his lungs. Untreated, it would kill him, but Jesiree is a good Healer and knows how to add my blood to a brew to make it more potent. By the time he finishes the bottle, he'll be healthy again. It's nice to be able to do little things. [She ducks her head, hooking her hair behind her ears.] Especially when all the big things we have to do are just so... big.

[ ...there it is again - Fayura's blood. Blood for the land, to heal the land. Blood for the medicine, to make it more potent. Piper can't ignore that, not when she's seen the power of demigods' blood in painful and horrific action. She wants to ask - would that work for anyone with power to help the landen or is it because it's yours?

But that seems like a really personal question, and the queen is busy, and Piper has something more important to ask if she's going to use this time well. ]

I understand that. I'm glad he'll be okay.

[ She hesitates and decides that this is as good as she's going to get. She's not picking up anything at all duplicitous with Fayura. She has enough of her own perception of the way the queen acts now to be able to judge if the winds change once she starts asking questions. ] I need to ask you some questions. [ She takes a breath to swallow back the first question she wants to ask: What happened to Jason?

...it doesn't work. ] When I woke up this morning, my boyfriend from home, Jason Grace -- he'd been here when I got here -- I couldn't find him. When I reached out on a psychic thread, I didn't feel... anything. Do you know what happened to him?

Edited (sorry for the big change, the more I left it alone the more it didn't feel right -- this works better for her) 2019-04-17 22:27 (UTC)

[Fayura's smile warms, as if to say, "Yes, I'm glad, too."

She gestures for Piper to follow her down another wide street, this one leading south. One of her favorite cafes is down this street, and she thinks the two of them could stop for a drink and enjoy the warmth of the spring sun.

And, well, the outdoor patio is as good a place as any to answer questions. Fay makes a mental note to make herself more available to the Strangers—Piper likely isn't the only one with questions.]

Oh! [Her expression falls. She'd heard those words so many times before she found safety. Before she came to Draega. Every time someone said those words, what they meant was that someone was dead.

But Draega isn't the wilds, and the Strangers are unique.] He's not in Terreille anymore, no. I... He's gone home. The web couldn't keep him here. [At least, that's how she's interpreted it.]

[ Gone home. That... echoed in the space where he used to be. But it was good! Because it meant they could go home, and it was good because... well, at home, Jason would be able to take care of himself.

But that was what she'd assumed happened - she's glad, she's relieved that she was right.

Still, there's a shadow that comes into the corners of her eyes and doesn't leave as she continues to speak with Fayura. ]

What do you mean, the web couldn't keep him here?

I'm not all powerful. The webs I weave aren't prisons. If someone is needed in their home more than they're needed here or if they perceive that need to be more, the web might release them.

[Fayura's expression turns thoughtful. She doesn't talk much theory to people, and when she does, she does tend to get excited about it.]

Without examining the web with someone who knows what's going on back in your home Realm, I wouldn't be able to draw an accurate conclusion. I could make several guesses. Informed opinions, I mean. Not guesses. But I would need to know what's happening in your original Realm, perhaps, and then there's the flavor of the web and the potency of the dream—oh.

[She touches her fingers to her lips.]

Perhaps it was his dream. He found your friend, Leo.

[ So did I - and the web hadn't sent her back. But it's not at all difficult for Piper to believe that Jason would be required back home. ]

So... the webs can do things on their own, almost? [ She leans forward a little bit, intent and listening. ] If it would help, I can tell you whatever you need to know about our world.

[ She's not sure what the dream has to do with weaving a web... all this magic is unfamiliar to her. She realizes now that prioritizing this is important. ]

It's less that they can do things on their own and more that I didn't tell them what not to do. In the case of bringing you here, I just created a web to bring heroes to Draega. I didn't tell it how many—

[Her eyes go wide for a moment.

Quietly:] —I should maybe add that in. [She dismisses the thought with a wave of her hand.] I didn't give it any, um... parameters, I suppose? I was desperate when I wove the web, so I might have been... a smidge hasty.

[She laces her fingers together as they walk, her expression serious.]

If there's danger. If there's a reason your world would require Jason more than Terreille, the web might have released him. Is there danger in your home? [She assumes there is. Heroes do not become heroes in times of peace.]

[ She considers that quietly for a moment. ]

When we left, Jason and I -- I mean, the last thing either of us remember from back home was after we won. [ We won. ] But just because we managed to stop one threat doesn't mean that there couldn't be another one. And Jason is - [ was? is? is. ] - very strong. If my world needs a champion, there's no one better than he is.

[ No one braver or more true. She misses him already, and it wraps around her throat like a wet scarf. It's hard to think through this feeling. ]

[Fayura steers them both into a quiet seat at her favorite cafe. She urges Piper into a chair and then draws her own close, folding her hands around Piper's and giving them a warm squeeze.]

Your dreams are for your own worlds, not this one. Jason would have taken a piece of this place back with him, something that would enable him to find Leo there. All things are connected. Blood sings to blood, as my people are fond of saying. Not only is Jason now part of that song, but whatever he took back? That is, too.

Tonight, I'll weave a tangled web to find out what I can. But I am sure of this: his being gone does not mean he's beyond your reach. You'll return to him one day, too, I hope. [Her smile is small, but reassuring.] I can't imagine what it must be like to lose half of your heart, find it, and then lose it again. [She can't imagine losing Verim.]

[ Piper permits Fayura to direct them. There is something quietly authoritative about her, and it would have taken either effort or offense to stir her from the silent maelstrom in her heart.

He'd gone home. Home wasn't -- it wasn't so bad, it wasn't like it was death, but he was there and she was here and she missed him--

She was startled out of drowning in loss when Fayura took her hands. Her eyes heat, and they slide from blue to green to darkest brown as she very determinedly does not cry. She doesn't pull her hands away, she doesn't withdraw into herself. ]

I'll miss him. [ Her lower lip quivers and she presses it ruthlessly tight for a moment. ] But as long as he's okay, that's what's important.

[ There is a brief flash of passion-driven determination, a rock solid assurance that she would walk barefoot over broken glass if she had to in order to make it so that Jason would be okay. He was her best friend. And she loved him. ]

[Fayura gives her another squeeze.]

You're allowed to grieve for what you've lost. You're allowed to be upset. [It took her so long to realize she's allowed to be sad. That she can grieve for the people and places and things that she's lost.] And once that feeling passes, you can be glad he's well and home. I'll still weave the web for you and let you know what I see in it.

[ She might be allowed to grieve, but she knows that she needs to concentrate first on what must be done. If there was rocky road ice cream in Draega, she'd be tempted to curl up with a pint and not leave her room. But as it is, not only is there no ice cream, there's no Jason - and she no longer has a safety net, not when people can be taken from her so quickly. She needs to press through, to find out what she can, and get stronger so that she can help this place and go back to him.

She doesn't want to leave the job undone. There was so much need here. But she almost asks - Can't you just send me back too?

Piper swallows. ]

Thank you.

[ She bites her lip to keep the words back. And then she laughs a little and lets the tears surface in the corners of her eyes because keeping them back hurts, because Fayura's right and losing Jason is worth grieving over. And it hurts. ] I don't suppose you have ice cream in Draega, do you?

[Fayura draws back to give Piper her space and smothers a smile. Piper possesses a rare strength and a depth of compassion almost unseen in Terreille, and Fay is pleased to see it. Pleased to see her spell worked, bringing her heroes and people of great value.]

You're welcome.

[Piper's pain cuts at her, and she tightens her inner barriers against the onslaught of emotion. Absently, she shields them both to protect the landens and the Blood in the Bazaar—a courtesy she doesn't think the Strangers know to bother with.

At Piper's question, her head tips to the side.]

Do you mean frozen cream? Milk that's churned and chilled and given sweetening and flavor? [She gestures down the street.] There is a patisserie nearby that sells it on soft cookies. [A smile breaks across her face.] Let's buy some!

[ Piper moves her hands into her lap as she sniffs and manages a smile. ] It's a traditional remedy for break-ups in my world. Which -- this isn't. [ Because if he appeared right now, she'd run to him and he would catch her. This hadn't been either of their choice. But it was almost easier to think of it that way, because the only other association with forced separation was... so much worse. She gives a half of a shrug. ] But maybe it will help anyway.

[ She was definitely going to have to follow up with Fayura to find out for sure what had happened to Jason, but knowing that his disappearance meant that he'd simply returned home was reassuring.

So she gives a little nod. ] So yes. Let's buy some.

[ And she has every intention of treating, grateful that Fayura's taken the time out of her schedule to help her with this... but she doesn't want to say it yet, because she has no idea how much it's going to cost. ]

Frozen cream is a remedy for all sorts of ills. When I was young—

[Fayura catches herself short. She's always been very careful when talking about herself. Has always held secrets back. But perhaps... Piper has shared something precious with her. She should share a bit of herself in return. She exhales and continues speaking as she leads the way down the street.]

When I was young, [she says with conviction, with force, to remind herself that sharing parts of herself is no longer a dangerous thing,] whenever we went to a village, my mother would find a sweets shop. We never had very much money, and mama... [Sorrow fills Fayura's eyes.] Well, we made what we had last so mama didn't have to do the kind of work she hated. But she would always buy frozen cream for me at a new village. [Because they only went to new villages when the old one became unsafe, either because of the mercenaries and wild men or because someone learned something of Fayura they should not.]

Here.

[Fayura opens the door to a small shop, warm and lit by witchlight. There are a few awkward tables and chairs pressed against the front window and precious little space between the seating and the display case. The cakes and muffins and cookies on display aren't pretty. They'd win no prizes in Piper's world for plating or attention to detail. They're rough and a bit ugly, and the price tags attached to them are high.

But the witch who emerges from the back of the shop breaks into a huge smile when she sees Fayura.]

Two cookies with frozen sweet cream, [Fayura says. She turns to Piper and adds,] It's my treat. Don't worry about the prices. I barter my services for a lower price.

[ Piper's heart is still reverberating like a struck tuning fork, and will be for some time. But her own sense of pain doesn't blind her to Fayura's hesitation or the personal nature of the story she's sharing. Piper grew up with her every physical need met; her father hadn't had it, and was particularly proud of his ability to provide. So although she can't relate specifically to the nature of the treat, she knows what it's like to share something special with the parent you adored.

'The kind of work she hated' and the fact that they traveled... and this country was so very dangerous... Piper wonders - what had happened to Fayura's mother? If she was alive, surely she'd be here, where Fayura and her court could keep her safe...

So much sorrow and loss... ]

Thank you, [ she murmurs quietly, as Fayura opens the door. Almost anything else seems trite, really (as if thank you was profound, jeeze, Piper). She does give Fayura her full and unflinching attention, listening.

One glance at the pastries and she knows they're out of her price range. She's no longer staying in the Queen's Residence and she has yet to find a steady job, helping who she can and bartering her services irregularly. She hesitates, bu has the sense that turning Fayura down, especially after what she'd just shared, would be worse than insisting on doing it her own way or on having nothing at all. ]

That's very kind of you. Thank you again.

Times are lean and hard. You don't need to thank me for kindness.

[That's not true, and it's obvious from the delight in Fay's eyes how much that thanks means to her.]

I've... lived with little for most of my life. To be able to give things to others now makes me happy. [Even if that means Fayura gets less. For a woman who wears dark Jewels, she eats remarkably little. She shares her meals with her court as subtly as she can, and though there's always a back and forth dance of food between her plates and theirs, she always comes out the winner. If someone brings her a snack tray, she nibbles on the crackers while inviting the other person to have more.

It doesn't occur to her to do otherwise.

She calls in a small coin purse and pays for their treats: two lumpy sugar cookies with a hefty dollop of lemon frozen sweet cream on top. One plate, she passes to Piper, and she nods toward one of the tables pressed against the front window.]

Let's sit down and enjoy it, shall we?

[Because in spite of how the cookies look, they're delicious, and so is the frozen cream.]

And while we're here, do you have any other concerns you'd like to talk about with me? I don't want to be all business, but I do want to make sure you're as well as you can be.

[ Piper moves as Fayura indicates to sit at one of the tables, carefully holding the plate in her hand. At home, her father's chef would wrap her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in gold leaf, he was so offended by her simple request. He'd never serve anything that looked like this. And Piper had never looked at anything that he cooked with such gratitude. ]

I'm pretty sure that kindness is exactly what people should thank others about. [ There's a bit of a spark of stubbornness in her eyes now, and she sits straight. When she forgets to hide herself, Piper has a natural confidence and grace, a surety of movement - and it comes out now. ] You brought us here, so it's fair and right that you answer questions about things like -- random disappearances. [ That stab of pain in her heart sharpens; she ignores it ] And I appreciate that you are being right and fair. But this? [ Gesturing between them to the ice cream, the restaurant, the caring. ] This is more than that. And I'm grateful to you for it, because it is very kind.

[ And even if she didn't get to treat Fayura to the ice cream, she's going to remember this and try to reciprocate somehow. Because she felt terrible, worried and alone, and now she felt a little bit better. Now at least she knew Jason was okay. And Fayura had offered to listen, and that meant a lot.

Plus, ice cream.

She doesn't quite sink back into herself after her speech, but she does glance down to the cookie and ice cream and lift up her spoon. ]

And let me think about that for a minute?

[ Because it really was hard to think of anything other than her loss. Maybe the ice cream would help. ]

This is what you needed. [Fay shrugs, just a little.

To her, this is the least required of her for someone who lives in her Territory. The Strangers may come and go as they please, but Fayura thinks of them as a part of her court. Looking after them feels natural to her.

It feels good. And Fayura's only concern is that she helps people for that feeling and no other reason. That she craves the satisfaction of aide given more than giving it.]

Truthfully, I didn't expect anyone to come after the first group. [She sighs.] At least I understand now why the initial weaving took so much out of me. The power was needed to keep the Craft going.

I remember you saying something about needing to check the web after we got here. [ She takes her fork and stabs at the ice cream covered cookie, not wanting it to melt and go to waste.

She wishes Annabeth-Hazel-Jason was here to ask these questions instead. Annabeth could figure out anything, given enough time. Hazel, with her training with Hecate, her stubborn incisiveness... and Jason just...

But they weren't here, so... she was just going to have to do the best she could. ] Your weaving pulled more power from you than you'd planned, and now the web is calling people back home whether or not they're finished here... that makes it seem almost like the web is alive?

[ Again - is Jason okay? What's happening here? How does this work? ]

[Fay nods to the first statement as she, too, takes a bite of the cookie and sweet cream. Sweetness bursts on her tongue, start enough to make her shiver and sweet enough to make her teeth feel fuzzy.

At the question, she shakes her head.]

No, no, the webs aren't alive, but they're built on intent. Mine simply wasn't precise enough. My only requirement was "bring me heroes." Since I didn't specify a timetable, the web is pulling people in monthly, but that could change. Since I didn't specify how long you should be here, the web doesn't try to hold on to you or make an effort to keep you here.

[She presses her lips together with an expression of mild consternation.]

I should have done that. [With a faint sigh, she takes another bite of her cookie.] If your intent isn't specific, the Craft will either break down or fill in the gaps. I suppose that sounds like it's alive, but it's really not.

[ Piper frowns lightly in concentration, thinking about that. ] So it's not so much... that it's alive and making choices, but it's like... you're trying to direct a very powerful river. [ She imagines it like a dam with floodgates like the levers on pinball machines, needing to open them just enough to get the river to go through with enough power to accomplish the task... but then how do you keep the river from overflowing its boundaries once it's through? Specific intent. [ And the more power you need to get a task done, the more specific you need to be in order to keep the river from overflowing its boundaries?

Ah, yes, that's an excellent metaphor. [Fayura nods.] You're exactly right.

In some ways, it's necessary to be very legalistic with webs. Say, for example, you wish to marry wealthy. You weave a web of intent to bring your dreams to you, and you only tell the web you want a handsome, wealthy husband. Eventually, the magic works and brings you a handsome, wealthy man, and you wed. And then you find out he's a monster who delights in torturing children and his wealth has been accumulated through buying and selling young orphans that no one will miss.

[Fayura isn't exactly casual as she describes this scenario, but her tone implies this isn't uncommon—and there's just as much implication that it nauseates her.]

The web did precisely what you asked it to, but you weren't specific enough in the weaving.

[ Piper blinks at that example. It's horrifying, and to think that it's an easily reached-for example is equally so. ]

In my world, we have jokes like that - about evil genies. But they're just a story - at least, as far as I know. [ Piper's brow furrows. ] So the webs are just like a... vehicle for tapping into the power of the jewels? The Darkness?

Yes, that's a good way to look at it. The webs make dreams into— [There's an odd skip.] —reality. More the Jewels than the Darkness. The Blood revere the Darkness, but it's not a sentient entity, either.

[Her head tips to the side.]

It's just the wellspring of ours powers, I suppose.

just when the ocean starts to dry (closed)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Sorry, life got crazy - lmk if you'd like to drop the thread

no worries!