"Ah, my largest appetite. Here, let me set this table for us."
She busies herself with the duties of a hostess and sets the table, pours wine for Candidus, etc.
"As for my time here....it is bittersweet as I'm sure you intended it to be," she says without malice or ill will. "On the one hand, what being exists that wishes to be caged, except perhaps creatures of the Dominion? Yet, for all of that, the company is very pleasant and good-hearted, once understanding was reached. The covenfolk seem to be so excited by my newness that they hardly notice my gift[1], and Mnemnos is charming, once you understand his history. And what of your time since last we met, Candidus? Has life provided you with satisfaction?"
[1] Note the complete lack of a Folk Ken roll or anything for Viscaria to come to that assumption.
"Your words wound me, Viscaria. This is a prison of my own design, yes. But it is not by my machinations that you are here. You are here because of Somnifer. You might have a point that you are here due to my inaction, but it is not my place to intervene, unless asked. Are you asking me for something, Viscaria?"
"Nor do I blame you in the slightest for being here, nor complain that I am still here, nor do I object to your having made such a prison in the first place. You made a mechanism for letting people out, and Somnifer found a way to use it -- and me, to make the bargain that he did. Should he not return when he promised, then I will be cross indeed, but with him, not you. Indeed, my strongest emotion on the subject is curiosity -- for why would you make such a door in the first place? Is it some metaphor regarding the insult they first did you? Was it intended as a method of forgiveness or further punishment? Are those even the right emotions to discuss?
"And yet, even that curiosity is not terribly great. For these books that Somnifer has tempted me with are sorely suspicious...."
She pauses for a second, considering. "Yes, my lord. If you have it in your heart to grant me such a boon, then I would ask to know the truth about who my mother is and how I came to be. I would claim her legacy as my birthright."
If he could blush...
Yet, before he even realizes it himself (or he would have stopped dead), hiems takes a fast, bold step towards her, and kisses her passionately
Taking his breath, while they are still close...
Sigh... May the night come soon, then.
Avoiding pain and feelings, or being human? Cygna sure is taking him towards one side of the deal.
Aye. And this somnifer seems half-mad. I don't know if he can distinguish dream from reality, and I fear he may see others as tools to be used, nothing more.
We should concentrate into getting Viscaria's back. And then, putting as much distance as we can between him and us.
((Words can heal if they aren't delivered without malice or ill-intent. Consider Viscaria has no folk ken, and can't properly filter/phrase things as a natural response to that. So what she said was hurtful, though her delivery may not have been hurtful, at all.))
"I was asked to protect the covenant from a rampaging army, and I did so. I was asked by surviving magi for a way to bring their covenant back into the real world, and I named my price to Mnemnos and allowed him to create a mirror that can be used to go between levels of the regio."
"Somnifer is trapped in his own dreams, and the dreams of others. Somnifer has been as desperate to escape here as Mnemnos. He sifts through the dreams of others. And, if I'm not mistaken you were part of a hedonistic party at Tribunal. Languidus was there, but he didn't participate. I'm sure you can figure out what he did while he was there. In any event, Somnifer took your dreams for his own. He didn't do it out of malice."
Candidus answers her last question, You are naive, Viscaria. You would ask me for this, knowing that my price can be such as this? What if grant you her legacy, but you must stay here with me until the end of time? What if her legacy is a dusty rag sitting in the corner of your room? Is that something you are truly prepared to do? For when you ask it next, you will pay my price."
Cygna, Wen and Heims arrive at Lapus Crudus without difficulty.
Heims and Cygna see buildings that are ramshackle in appearance, and some of them appear to be cut in half, or end abruptly. There are a few people milling about one of the buildings that is cut in half.
Cygna returns the kiss with equal fervor, oblivious to anyone around them. Wen mutters "Get a room, already" in Welsh and wonders how Vin is doing.
That night, Cygna makes it plain that she is willing to go at Hiems's pace. [color=red]"I am yours, moja ljubov', tonight and always," she says softly as she slips out of her robes and climbs beneath the covers. [color=red]"If you wish to merely hold me, I am here for you. If you would take me, I give myself to you freely."
Cygna approaches one of the people. [color=red]"Excuse me, we're looking for our friend Viscaria ex Verditius," she says in Latin. [color=red]"Can you tell us where she is, please?"
So long as this isn't another misinterpretation of her tone. Viscaria is an a bubbly, socially inept magic geek.
"Those are merely the circumstances of the event, my lord. You have already told me they insulted you in some fashion, and thus you chose to grant their wishes in this manner. I am not nearly as interested in their actions as yours. When they asked for your help with the army, how did that make you feel? What caused you to choose this particular solution to their wish? Does some external force offer you options, and you chose amongst them? Did you deliberate long and carefully or are you quick-witted and fast to respond? What of this second wish to Mnemnos? Do you consider the manner in which you granted his wish kindly, or was it a further rebuke? How did you take his request? In other words, my lord, how do you wish to be treated?
You warned me against insulting you, or treating your gifts as contracts. Yet, these many days later I still do not know if it would please you more to be called Candidus, or if you enjoy the terms of address I have preferred. The magi of my Order classify beings of your kind into distinct groups based on social heritage and company, and offer distinct suggestions on the best way to work with each group. But this advice helps me naught in this moment, for I know so little of you. Thus, still do I fear I may offend."
Her tone remains gentle while gaining a hard, unyielding edge to them. "My lord, such humor ill suits our conversation. Twice now, I have said in so many words that I do not desire anything so strongly as to ask someone to grant me that wish without effort on my part. Yet still you insist on offering me such temptation. You have cautioned me against insulting you, and thus do I assume you will be insulted if I do not wish upon your bright star. I asked for truth, so that I might seek my legacy, and you offer to grant me the legacy without offering me the truth.
"This situation was not of my devising. You and Somnifer are beings of power on a scale I cannot defend against nor usurp. You have rebuked me for wanting to be precise, and now you rebuke me for being vague. Very well, then. It is clear that no answer I give will free me from this feud between you and Lapis Crudis. I am well familiar with prisons, and this one is quite lovely by comparison. I shall endure it.
"I have no desire to be granted anything that I have not earned. But if you insist that I must make a wish, then I wish to know the truth."
"I'm not clear on why you think they insulted me. I said that they tried to make their bargain extremely legalistic, and so I met the demands of their bargain, specifically, and no more. Is that how one handles an insult? Perhaps. Or maybe I was insulted because I was bored. And I am not so powerful as you think. I could quickly be stripped of my powers by any number of Hermetic specialists. The prohibition of molesting the Faeries, and my dominance of this realm is what keeps me protected. That, and Somnifer and Mnemnos have no idea what would happen should they send me to Oblivion like some hellspawn."
Candidus smiles a warm smile, but of someone who might actually see Truth. "And now you have the crux of the problem. I cannot provide Truth. I can only provide the legacy. I provide the destination, but without the journey the destination is meaningless. All I can say is that there is a nugget of truth in what Somnifer has told you. Your pater, as you of the Order like to call it, knows far more about your vulgar parentage than he has ever admitted to you. Somnifer, being a creature of dreams became enamored of the truth within your dream and took it for his own, but your dream became his dream, and he is descending into his own nightmare. Did you know that at this very moment, Somnifer has sent a declaration of Wizard's War to your pater? Determined to seek revenge for a granddaughter he does not have, for a child he never had? You are correct, of course, he is not any relation to you, but he's made himself believe it, and his dreams make themselves manifest in his waking moments. So, if you want the Legacy of your mother, I can grant it, but it will cost you much. If you want to learn the Truth of your mother, you need to confront the one who has truly brought you here to this point. You must ask yourself why you would step into a prison willingly? Is it because you are afraid of freedom? You build walls around yourself Viscaria, always couched in terms of personal security. Here is the ultimate embodiment of personal security. None may enter without a like exchange. Mnemnos, though he's decades older than you can be your personal pet, or not. And Somnifer goes of to confront your pater on your behalf. That is the extent of Truth I can offer you. You must pursue the rest of your own accord."
Candidus accepts the offer of more wine.
Hiems
O_o This is Lapus Crudus? How can viscaria be trapped here? We must be missing something...
Surprisingly, this douses him, as she breaks his heart. She is too... wonderful, he just doesn't deserve her. He feels a shiver, and cygna sees him withdrawn.
Oh, katerina, I... and he stops, unable to speak, yet alone conceive, what he meant to say
TL, DR: Once in bed, they'll probably talk a little, hold a lot, kiss, and, one thing leading to another, make love tenderly She just needs to grab his attention*, and stop him from thinking.
Pun intended
If they don't understand, Hiems will roughly translate in french.
Wordlessly, one of the covenfolk guides Heims and Cygna into the building he is milling about in front of. There is a beautifully crafted mirror, and a few chairs. He indicates that Heims and Cygna should wait.
((This can be picked up by amul after he's finished with Candidus.))
As soon as Hiems shivers and withdraws (at least emotionally), Cygna feels a sharp, familiar pain. She's seen this before, probably too many times. She's gotten too close to him, and...she tries not to cry, as she silently curses Madame. How could you do this to someone who loved you with his whole heart the way Hiems did? As badly as you hurt him, will he ever be able to love another? Will he ever be able to love me? But she says nothing at first, but merely caresses him gently and mouths "I love you" before she moves against him, resting her head on his chest as they talk etc. long into the night. She cannot imagine ever wanting to be anywhere else but in his arms, but she wonders again if she's pushing him too hard.
Cygna moves one of the chairs against another and sits in one, waiting for Hiems to sit in the other. Once he does, she leans against him, sighing softly.
This is the perfect moment for Hiems to do what he does best.
O_o
Hiems... can't believe this is real.
So he enjoys this dream, as much as he can, for as long as it lasts. Her presence at her side, her sweet weight on him, not wanting this moment to pass. He reaches out, and takes her hand, holding it gently.
The phrase "hellspawn" gets a flinch from Viscaria, having spent so much time under seige by the undead in her former covenant, and she's tempted to ask Candidus what he knows of the subject (she's always wondered how faeries interact with the infernal!), but she resists the tangent.
Viscaria stares at Candidus, open mouthed, as he casts aside all her careful self-deceptions, as he casually mentions threats to the only goal she's ever really nurtured, and asks her aloud the questions she's spent so many nights avoiding.
"Forge and flame, she mutters (the oldest curse she ever learned) under her breath. "What have I done? How can I possibly stop Somnifer, even if I could somehow manage to get out of here?"
After a few minutes, a tapping sound comes out of the mirror. Seconds later, the view shifts and tumbles slightly, as if someone was tilting their view up to the ceiling and back again. More tapping, and then some mumbling as you see one of Viscaria's hands, tapping the mirror with one of her casting rods.
"...no obvious switches. I wonder if there is a.....no, no code word written on the back. Maybe I should....oh! It's already on! Hallo, Cygna! Hello, Hiems! I would give you guys a hug, but....it would be problematic! What are you two doing here?"
Viscaria. I am relieved to see you look all right. As cygna has said, we were worried about you and your safety, as we were into the impression we were a prisonner in Lapus Crudus.
But we bring pressing news, too. We met a magus named Somnifer. Do you know him? He claimed to be your grandfather. Anyway, he was traveling with that grog of yours. Wine D'Isel, or something like that. You might want to know that he has declared Wizard's War on Norbert Gunthar
Viscaria starts fidgeting with her toga -- both of them recognize that easily as one of her embarrassed fidgets. "Yeeeess.....it's become a bit confusing. This covenant is cursed, so that none may leave but another takes his or her place. Somnifer is.....deluded, but his delusion is genuine and powerful, as you might expect of a Mentem specialist. We need to stop him before...."
There's a pause as Viscaria notices some hidden clue.
"OH. MY. GOD. It's about time! ~inhales~ Anyway, we need to stop him before he hurts my pater in a way that would prevent me from torturing useful information out of him later."
Viscaria is grinning from ear to ear. It's like her entire face is made of that grin.
"What? Oh, well he convinced himself that he was my grandfather. Not my pater, my actual grandfather, and then he conjured up this diary written by his wife, and he used all this to convince me to trade places with him inside this regio. Only, it seems that he did too good a job, and now is convinced of his own lie, and so I was unable to detect deceit[1]. I agreed to trade places with him for a season. I've only managed to learn his intentions and the truth of his background recently."
[1] See how she carefully avoids says, "The bait he offered looked so tasty to her that I jumped at it without looking." Com +2 + Guile 2 + Specialty (displacing blame) 1 + die 0 (5, no botch) = 5
[color=red]"Somnifer convinced you (and himself, it sounds like) that he was your vulgar grandfather, and got you to agree to take his place for a season. But now you've found out...oh, wait. You want to torture your pater! I see...I think." It's plain by the tone of Cygna's voice and the look on face that she doesn't understand the last at all.
[color=red]"But for us to stop him, one of us has to replace you in the mirror, correct?"
She turns to Hiems. [color=red] "Moja ljubov', I know your magical defenses are far more formidable than mine. How skilled are you with Mentem?"
and he stops, unable to speak, yet alone conceive, what he meant to say
She just needs to grab his attention*, and stop him from thinking.
))
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