As Summer Waves Goodbye

[Mhairi Ankaa]

'Don't these things come in threes?' Mhairi frets, as she paced back and forth through the Autumn commons. 'First they all leave, and now Ava gets a call and vanishes too!' the elemental spins on her heel. 'Gods and Demons....I don't want to know - or see what the third will be.' there's a half a thought to employ a clause or two to determine their fate, but a frown blooms and she realizes that she doesn't quite yet have a clause for this sort of situation.

A few panicked texts sent out to the rest of Autumn, hopefully none followed Ava in her quest of-of-whatever it was. Maybe the women followed the previous Sovereigns on their own quest of whatever it was!

Another heel spin, the familiar sights of the archives few passed as she closed in on the pews.

Step. Step. Turn. Step. Step. Turn. Step. Step. Turn.

Both a mantra and a pattern, as fell-flames darted towards the entrance waiting to see if anyone else would be showing up.

[Lesingnon]

The sudden storm winds entering from the entrance out into the Hedge heralded Rick's presence a second or two before he entered the commons. He didn't appear nearly as off-kilter as the Leaden Mirror's other Elemental. Which wasn't to say he was at all fond of the current situation. He'd been happy to have Ava wear the Leaden Crown, in no small part because that meant he wouldn't have to.

He was much less sure about whether or not he'd be able to avoid that responsibility now. Morgan, if he remembered correctly, hadn't wanted anything to do with the crown last time around. Mhairi certainly didn't look like someone who had any thoughts of wearing it, Nathan wasn't ready. So...would he have to step up for the good of the court?

"You'll wear a hole in the floor if you keep that up." The joke was often used and hardly original, the small smile it was delivered with wry. But hopefully it was just familiar enough of a phrase to settle Mhairi a bit. "Take a deep breath, try to calm down a bit, don't worry so much...we may not have been expecting this, but we'll be just fine."

[Morgan Bellanar]

Morgan arrived quietly by the shed door entrance. She'd gotten the message but transit had gone slowly. Morgan didn't know if Ava's "vanishing" was really a panic button worthy situation or if she'd just gone one "vacation" or something. Mhairi actually was leaving a visible mark on the floor, at least to the Beast's eyes. She shrugged and then nodded her head to Rick as she walked over to the Archive, dropping off her pack. She turned to Mhairi and leaned back against the desk, "Verily, Rick tis right. Heh, on both matters. We, Autumn, did have catacombs heh here a while back. Wouldn't do to walk a hole into one, heh. We can adapt, heh."

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Mhairi starts at the sound of Rick and Morgan's voices. The storm surrounding her fellow elemental make her slightly self conscious about her weaker winds.

She takes a deep breath, as her pacing slowed then stopped, but her nervousness didn't abate.

"I'm just-ah worried about how close it is to Autumn." Mhairi tip-toes away from her pacing path, suddenly worried about the catacombs she hadn't known about. "It's-ah-a hope, skip and a jump away!"

Turning towards her fellow courtiers, she twists her drippy fingers together. "Who wants to wear the Leaden Crown?" she asks point blank. Concerned that Nathan hadn't arrived yet, but considering that the last time they gathered to discuss this he was late. And that when she met with Ava, to talk about roles and tittles, he was late. Aaand that she hadn't even seen the hunterheart since then had the elemental figuring they'd better start. "Cause....I'm not to-ah-to sure that any of us wants it." she says remembering the last time they came together to talk about the Crown and who should wear it no one here put themselves forward. "Should-ah-should we pick someone for the season...then they can abdicate...passing the crown over to the next person. And continue until there's a true Autumn Monarch as a part of the 'hold and this Court..." she says quickly, nearly with one breath. "Like leaves falling from the tree...?" it sounds like a question, "Darn. I had a better metaphor ready, but-it-uh...I can't remember it...sorry."

Mhairi falls silent, her fell-flames darting between Rick and Morgan, awaiting what they thought of her idea.

[Lesingnon]

"Autumn approaches, true, but not so quickly that we don't have the time we need to prepare for it. There's time enough to get our business settled."

He took a deep breath of the stormy air that surrounded them, taking in his surroundings. They were in the Autumn Commons, the seat of the court's power. And though the Leaden Mirror may have been diminished, it was far from broken. "Ava may be gone, but Autumn can still measure up to any court in the Freehold. We'll rise to meet the challenges placed before us, we always do."

"That said, I don't think we want a cycle of abdication. People look for stability in a monarch, someone who can establish influence and gain both the trust and faith of the Freehold. You don't get that if the deck is re-shuffled every three months." There was a pause, as he traded glances with his fellow courtiers, "Maybe none of us wants the crown, but so what. I'm sure we've all heard the old adage aabout how those best suited for authority are the ones who don't seek it. You don't need someone who desires a reign to find an effective ruler. You just need someone who's willing and capable to lead. And that we can find."

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Mhairi takes a moment, taking another breath of the winds, stormy and menacing around them, "Sorry...I'm just-ah-just frazzled. Ava said she believed in me, then she up and left! I don't know if she went with the other sovereigns, or for a vaykay or whatever...but...I just feel...I-ah-I don't know...well I do. And you do I-ah guess, but...." her dripping finger continue to twist together, "Sorry." she says again.

"Okay. I-ah guess my idea sucks. But! It's an idea. That-ah-that has to count for-ah something....right?" Mhairi asks, not really knowing if it's rhetorical or not.

Her flickering fell-flames dart between her fellow courtiers, calming down as Rick spoke. "That's-ah-that's true. I-ah-I guess. Well...more then-ah guess but-ah...yeah." she sucks in a breath, before blowing it out, seeing it join the swirling storm around them, "So...who gonna be Queen. Or-ah King? I-ah don't wanna assume since-ah-since you were-ah...King once that-ah you'd pick-up the uh crown again, since uh-stress and oh wowie all the people looking at me, and listening to me and... she trails off, drippy fingers still twisting together. "Sorry. Those-ah my Fears. They might-ah not be-ah yours."

She swallows, looking more and more nervous instead of less.

"If you don't want to-ah be King, or you Morgan, Queen. I'll do it. I'm not ready. I don't-ah think, but for Us, and Autumn I'll do it. I'd need help and advisory types...but I'll do it."

[Lesingnon]

"Ava leaving doesn't mean that she doesn't believe in you. It just means that she felt she had to go elsewhere." Why she felt that, or where she'd gone, he didn't know. But in the end he supposed it didn't matter much at the moment. No matter what the answers to those questions might be, she wasn't here. So they had to plan accordingly.

"And the only reason you'd ever really need to apologize for your fears is if you let them get the better of you."

As he listened to the rest of what she had to say, well, he couldn't say that she was wrong. He didn't particularly want the crown again. But that didn't mean he was about to shy away from it, if wearing it was from the best. "It's noble of you to offer. But I'd never push someone who doesn't believe they're ready into wearing the crown. I've seen even those who felt they were fully prepared to rule crumble under the burden it places upon you."

"You're right, though, I don't particularly want to wear a crown again. But that doesn't mean I'd refuse to. I know I can handle it, and I will do what's best for the Leaden Mirror. If the court decides that means I should wear a crown once more...then so be it."

[Nathan Griffin]

Dammit! The Hunterheart burst into the room rather noisily. A quick look around as he wiped the sweat off his brow told him everyone else seemed to be there already. Rick, Morgan, Mary... and me. What a paltry little club. He caught the end of Rick's speech, but did little to acknowledge it beyond a cursory glance. "What's this about Ava being missing?" he demanded. He didn't bother to make excuses for his late arrival this time around.

The question had been put forward with little delicacy, but once he saw what a mess of nerves the younger Elemental was he softened up. The situation was clear enough, as these things went. "I'm guessing you're not gonna step up?" the question was directed to Morgan. Nothing against Rick, but he didn't think it a good idea to get him a shiny new crown before making sure there weren't any other options.

[Morgan Bellanar]

"Heh, truth thine words. I hath little faith in mine ability to lead, heh," Morgan just shrugged as she nodded her head. She had no shame in admitting to it either. The she nodded again, "Yeah, quick turnover, heh, royalty shalt not do good with confidence amongst the 'lings, and yay," she gave Mhairi a thumbs up, "Bad ideas are still ideas, heh, I hath said to...Ava, heh, heh. Sorry." Her merriment died down a little more, "Um...I twas a lil' confused on, heh, whether twas the Wyrd or us that decided that. And, uh, I concur with ye, heh, regarding the fears Mhairi, heh." Morgan shuddered as Mhairi mentioned her fears, "I'd only be able, heh, to do the job if the throne tis me hanging from the ceiling, heh. So if ye could set that up Nathan," she turned to Mr Griffin and gave him a thumbs up, "I'd jump, heh, rather then step up!"

She tilted her head and hummed, "Though, heh, me being friends with Lynn shalt equal a powerblock of Spring and Autumn which, heh, could cause worries for some folks in Summer or Winter...fuck nay. It shant, we are all friends, heh," she just shrugged it off.

She did start to look around in guilt. And Rick started giving out sage advice. And a thought occurred to her as she listened to him. Morgan nodded, "Oh yeah, heh, Ava shant doubt ye Mhairi. She didn't doubt me so heh how could she doubt ye? Retort: she could not Mhairi, nay doubt ye." Morgan still had a guilty look but she had to voice her worries, "Um, whlist the Wyrd or votes might not give a choice, heh, to us I am concerned over a, heh, other matter. Uh, our offices that tis. They'd be vacated with a royal promotion." Morgan looked back and forth between them all, "So, heh, my question tis do any of ye hath advisements for folks to replace us if we get promoted?"

[Mhairi Ankaa]

The weight of the wold tumbles off her shoulders with an audible "Phew."

"I won't. Apologize-for-ah my Fears...since they're-ah my Fears and yeah...." she says looking down at her twining fingers.

Looking up at Rick and Morgan, she gave them a crooked grin. "Thank you. I-ah mean I meant what I'd-ah said that I would-ah do it....but I really didn't didn't want to do it." she blurts out in one breath.

Nodding again at Rick's and Morgan's words, she offered a smile as Nathan burst into the commons. "She got-ah-a call. And-ah left. I-ah-I haven't seen her and I-ah don't-ah think anyone has." she finishes softly to the hunterheart's growled demanding question.

"True. We are-ah all-ah friends!" it was a comforting thought that all the 'lings in the 'hold were friends.

"So-ah...Nathan. You-ah putting your-ah hat in the-er-ring?" Mhairi asked just to ask. It was far if everyone got their opinion out.

At Morgan's last question, Mhairi offered a shrug. She didn't know who would fill what roles, or gain what titles if one of them was crowned.