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Another swordsman? Maybe we should hold a freehold tournament, Terri thought as she nodded to Alda's question. "I used to be a personal trainer and exercise is in my blood. However, I love parkour, the feeling of freedom and fun of just running and jumping and climbing, its quite exhilerating."
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"Parkour? That's that french martial art, right? The one focused on escape and jumping. Never seen anybody practise it, but I imagine it would prove quite useful in our line of work."
The park was near on empty. A few joggers taking the track down the middle, and a family or two near the swing-sets. But the bench where he had been waiting previously was still open, and it put some considerable distance between the two Autumns and the mortals currently in the park. Quite suitable, for todays purpose.
As they moved towards the bench, Aldamoth spoke, his tone still friendly, but also cautiously polite. "I'm not sure if you had anything specific in mind you wanted to discuss, Terri, but I did have a few questions I was hoping you could answer."
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"Correct. Some people consider it a martial art, certainly, although I've never studied martial arts so wouldn't have anything to compare it with. All I do know is that its quite alot of fun," Terri admitted with a grin. "I learnt it from Al-Adin, although I might ask him if he'd like to begin teaching it to others, open some training sessions."
As they sat on the bench, the petite Beast began to munch on her sub, mmm'ing at just how delicious it was.
"Well, why don't we start with your queries and go from there," she offered with a friendly smile.
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He nodded as she explained her understanding of the art. But that name rang a bell.
"Al-Adin? I believe we met last time I was in town, we went on an expedition together, ran into some rather nasty spiders. Monkey-ish fellow, over-energetic?" He asked curiously.
With so few people in the park he didn't really need to lower his voice, but he did so anyway. "Thanks. I'm having some trouble understanding what part of the season I'm supposed to connect with. Fear, fear I understand well. But I have seen so many different faces of Autumn. I have seen it in Asia, in America, in Europe and back home, in Australia. Each face is different, and I'm having issues reconciling the thematics of it all. Am I supposed to link myself to the whole falling brown maple leaf thing-ee, to European harvest or perhaps the rain and lightning storms of Australia. Am I looking for some 'inner' connection, or is the link to the Sacramento Autumn specifically?"
He finally stopped for breath, then chuckled "Sorry, that was about a dozen questions right there."
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"Over-energetic would be a very good way of describing Al," Terri laughs between mouthfuls. As Alda tried to explain his difficulties with the concept of Autumn, Terri listened intently. Many of the questions she had asked herself before but some of the connections she didn't understand.
I thought it was constantly sunny in Australia, Terri said to herself. When the Darkling had finished, she chuckled along with him. "Its fine, these are questions that we all share at times. But that's what makes you a good Autumn already," she smiled. "Questions, or more specifically, wanting the answers." Looking around to make sure there were no chance of anyone overhearing their strange conversation, Terri continued. "Let me tell you how I view the Court, it may help, it may not. I see fear as a series of challenges, there to better ourselves. Its everywhere we look, in every part of our life. Its the first day of school, a job interview, waiting to be picked up for the prom, the sweat from learning a new technique. It makes us happier in our lives by providing the strength of spirit when we need it most. Does that make sense?"
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When Terri began to speak, Aldamoth took the opportunity to begin eating his own sub. He nodded, and smiled visibly at the compliment.
It wasn't the answer he was hoping for. He wanted to hear something along the lines of 'Just think of the brown leaf thing-ee'. But indeed, the fact that she focused only on Fear, rather then an a superficial concept, was answer enough.
He nodded again "Yeah, I think I get where your coming from. Give me a second."he said moments before pushing his right hand up and covering his right eye. He always had found it easier to think in that pose, for whatever reason.
He abandoned the thematic concepts, throwing them to the wind. He discarded all obtuse and abstract thought. There was no more 'what is Autumn to me', that question found itself replaced with an easier one.
What is Fear?
Fear is chaotic. It was once the Darkness, but now he feared the Light. It was the spice sprinkled in the midst of combat, the eager comrade who stood beside him everytime he drew his blade. Fear guided his sword-arm, kept him alert, and alive. It was his father, his brother, his best-man and his rival, all at once.
He thought on this often enough since his meeting with Rick without any real epiphany. Something had alluded him, some small facet which prohibited his understanding. And know he understood what that facet was.
It was himself. He had been ignoring his instincts, forcing abstract concepts and thus diluting his own comprehension.
And slowly, as this understanding peaked, the thematic concepts arranged themselves. He finally grasped the ideal. Autumn...his autumn. It was chaotic, filled with floods, and lightning and days of sweltering heat. It was the chaos of battle, the chaos of nature. The very chaos of life itself. And it was Fear.
A second turned into a minute, but in that silence his connection became more than an innate realisation. When he shifted his hand away from his eye a hint on unease settled in the air, a subtle but clear manifestation of the Darklings link to the Ashen Court.
He turned his head back to Terri, his smile warm as he stated plainly "Thank you."
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Terri leaned back, ignoring her sandwich for the moment, watching intently as Aldamoth concetrated on the concepts floating around in his mind. As his mantle slowly developed in its own way, she smiled, once again taking a bite of her club sub.
"You're very welcome."
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He sat quietly for a minute as he finished off his own sub, contemplating the weight of the mantle on his shoulders. Shaking off the moment of reverie, he again spoke in a friendly, but quiet tone.
"Well, now that thats out of the way, I did have a couple of other questions I was hoping to ask you. First off, I was wondering if you could tell me a little about the Court here in Sacramento. It's history, the current state of its affairs, and how its viewed by the other Courts. I would like to know as much as you care to share." He requested plainly. Information was a commodity, and knowledge - power. But there was little he could do to assist his Court if he remained draped in ignorance.
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At the question, Terri went quiet as she thought of a reasonable reply. "Well, ours has always been the least represented Court in Sacramento, in all honesty. Along with the Silent Arrow, the Leaden Mirror has never been the popular choice but we have tried to help out where we can. Its only recently that our numbers have grown to such degrees. As for history, well, I'd recommend you speak with Mr. Bates seeing as that's his job role," she said, chuckling. "However, I'll fill you in as best as I can. Before Rick, our leader was a man called Horace Albert Liebowitz. I'm not afraid to admit he was a very intelligent man, but like all brilliant men, he soon grew detached from those around him."
Terri went quiet as she thought of the time when Katrin went missing, the confusion and the realisations.
"HAL, our pet name for him, was banished," she said, looking directly into Alda's eyes, her Mantle flaring so much as to encompass the Darkling's fledgling understanding and smother it beneath the blanket that comes with the unknown feeling of the Harvest. "Thanks to Rick, we have risen from the stigma of that time."
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Aldamoth nodded, making a mental note to talk to the Wizened regarding the 'Holds history sometime in the future.
"Duly noted, thanks." Was all the Darkling replied with. He certainly wanted to inquire further regarding this HAL, but it seemed to be a tender point with the Harvest Envoy, so he let it go for now. It was something else he could ask Mr. Bates, perhaps.
"One last question from me. As I mentioned earlier, last time I was in town, I accompanied a local..." he paused as a jogger ran past, waiting untill he was out of earshot before continuing "...Hedge expedition. If memory serves, the person running the show was called Arch. Is there anything in particular I should know about the local Flora and Fauna here?"
Each Hedge was different, and he knew that the environment was far too chaotic to rely on out-dated information. But on the other hand, knowing that little bit extra had saved his life more than once when traversing the thorns.
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