The Spirit of Fear...and Candy

[Morgause]

Morgause pouted slightly when a small, furry little thing tromped on up to her audience, though the pout was fleeting. It was quite amusing how the little flame-beast talked.

"Well hello there, little one," Morgause said to Morgan, the Freehold's most ancient Autumn Courtier. "You're welcome to join us. We were just discussing careers and habitations. I'm not sure if you heard, but it seems that our Gwendolyn here is a model."

A charming, if sharp toothed smile was turned back upon the Flame Haired woman.

"No surprise, I suppose, though that does seem like such an awfully dangerous profession. Don't you think Mhairi? Or you, little one? I mean, there are just so many people out there. So many people that might be bewitched once seeing such a beautiful visage in print. Don't you worry, Gwendolyn, about attracting the wrong person's attention?"

The smile stretched even wider, the cat's eyes narrowing in pleasure.

"It's very brave, I think. Most brave. I, however, do not flaunt such a marvelous occupation. I merely...occupy myself with my interests. Such is why I came to this city, after all. My favorite person happened to move here, and I just thought to myself, why not follow them? After all, it is quite difficult to begin a coven without any followers. Though, no, Mhairi, I haven't decided upon my favorite place to curl up and call home. Why do you ask?"

[Mhairi Ankaa]

"Have-ah-have you done shoes?" Mhairi asks, because that might just be it. The Leaden Wisp did love her up some shoes~!

The Cat Queen speaks and Mhairi blinks, realization igniting within her fell-flames. A Courtless 'long wouldn't do that. At least not for long before a Season - Summer's Prideful Boasting, a Taunting Challenge, and a Beautiful Target wrapped up in one, or Spring's Devil-May-Care attitude, and Near limitless nonchalance as they embrace their life once more - claimed them for itself, never mind what the 'ling in question wanted.

A model flaunting themselves in front of a large audience...why hadn't Gwendolyn's Keeper retaken her?

Has her escape ensured that such action couldn't be taken?

Was this a new Enemy poised in the Dragon's Shadow?

...Was this flame wreathed maiden still Loyal?

Suddenly Mhairi was very, very glad that Morgan appeared out of no where. Wyrd sensing her need for backup.

"Morgan..." Mhairi breathed in greeting. Her fell-flames flickering as she smiled at the sight of the Steepscrambler. "As-ah-as always it seems. We're at-the-ah getting-to-ah-know-you part. I haven't even mentioned Edna's."

Which of course was their segue.

"I-ah run a Boarding House for those who've-ah Lost their-ah way." Mhairi nods. It really wasn't a Freehold secret. Any new 'ling could look and find the signs up and around Sacramento and find their way to Edna's.

Fell-flames drift to see the costume her Courtier had, before she swallows and asks, "Who's-ah-who's your favorite person?" after that was answered, then they could carry onto the matter of the feline's 'coven'.

[Yog-Sothoth]

"Oh, hi Morgan," Gwendolyn said greeting the autumn courtier. "Nice to meet you."

Their points were well thought out and ones that she has heard before, to be honest she even voiced them herself a time or two. However, it was difficult to explain her exact situation, and the more she thought about it the sketchier that she kind of looked.

This might be more problematic than I thought at first, she thought to herself. Story of her life...it wouldn't be her life if it wasn't filled to the brim with complications.

"Well sure it can be dangerous," she began bluntly. "But, so is stepping out of my house and crossing the street and I still go out every day. You take precautions, also people grow and change over time to look a little different then when they were younger right? I'm more concerned with a random stalker finding me in the street than my ex locating me, and if that's the case I'd have to worry about a random stalker if I lived in a refrigerator box in an alley. I'd have to live as a shut in and even then it isn't foolproof, but that really isn't living in the end is it? That bastard stole years of my life away, I won't let him steal the rest of my life because I'm too afraid to live it, and I'll be damned if he's going to win a second time. Let 'em try and mess with me..."

It was difficult to explain her situation and doubly so in public, but luckily pretty much all of their discussion could be summed up by a bad relationship or boyfriend that turned control-freak. After a slight pause she continued.

"Besides, how often have you looked for something over and over again. Every possible place that it was likely to be, you know moving furniture, tearing your room apart, or hunting through the couch and drawers only of find it sitting on a table in the middle of the room or in a place so alien to it that you wouldn't think to look there? Same idea I guess."

Ah a boarding house is always a good thing for their kind, Gwen was one of the odd ones that held down a job and had her own place. Most didn't put in the work that she had to retake some sense of normalcy in her life.

"Ah, I've got my own apartment, thanks for asking though. It is nice to know that you look out for those in need or less fortunate. It says good things about this place," she said with an approving nod.

Gwen too found her curiosity peaked by this beautiful enigma before her and wondered just what type of person interested this other woman enough to make her pack up her life and move.

"Coven? Like literally new age stuff or figuratively speaking?" she inquired without judgement.

[Morgan Bellanar]

Morgause's personality set off no alarms and she seemed nice enough to the Beast. She did not stare for minutes at the sharp teeth that the cat put on display. No, she certainly didn't go pale and wide eyed at the sight of them. It was less then a minute, there was no paling, and her eyes darting over to Mhairi kept her from flight. Morgan's face utterly betrayed her surprise at Gwendolyn's status, "Nay milady, I must plead ignorance as to Gwendolyn's, heh, occupation. My own tis more humble, a mere courier." "Mere" courier who had hand delivered packages to yakuza bosses.

As for attracting the wrong attention, well that did seem bad. Attracting attention period sounded bad, this caused the raccoon's head to bob up and down in agreement with the cat: "Truth, I detest the spotlight, heh, it makes it difficult to go unseen. Especially when ye take shortcuts ye shouldn't, heh. This," she tapped the costume, "however, heh, helps."

Morgan smiled at Mhairi as her Queen greeted her. At mention of Edna's, the Scrivener added: "Tis a nice place."

The Beast became confused at the question of favorite person. Who was her favorite person? Like in the world or just the Freehold? "Uh, globally or, heh, club members? Difficult to ken the former, heh...Maybe...Mister T?" She didn't sound to sure of that. Or wait...did Mhairi want the costume? "Uh...for those that art, heh, club members I suppose...the Mountain tis awesome." She then leaned in to Mhairi, whispering: "Sorry to nay label ye, I doth, heh, nary wish to seem to brown nose. Did ye want the costume? Heh, I nay mind."

Leaning back away, she nodded at Gwendolyn's greeting: "Nice to meet ye too." She was a little surprised by the redhead's fiery rhetoric. She seemed to be a real...firebrand. Okay, Morgan wasn't going to say that. Morgan gave a thumbs up to Gwendolyn, "Verily. Do not permit Them to control ye. Or simply: fuck Them. Life tis a risk but preparation reduces it, Like heh uh," she paused and then started to talk very rapidly, "Like tis better to estimate the distance a'fore ye job between buildings then just wing it...And observe the masonry across ye way tis not rotting. Oh, and ensure ye ken how to cushion if ye fall...sorry," she chuckled as she got carried away.

Morgan was also curious about this coven thing, "Coven?". The curious head tilt as she watched Morgause for the answer made her look exactly like the animal she resembled. Big, curious eyes blinked as she wondered what the cat lady meant.

[Morgause]

"Unless I'm mistaken," Morgause mused, pausing to lap some chocolate off of her thumb, "there is quite a difference between taking precautions and literally making advertisements out of ourselves."

The green cat eyes fell upon the flame haired woman once more, studying her with the unblinking, disinterested amusement that only the feline species could muster.

"But you certainly don't seem concerned," she added, "so why should anyone else be? Besides, we can't all wilt like a flower buried beneath snow. I certainly can't."

And with that admission, the lazy, fang bearing smile appeared again.

"You all heard me correctly. I spoke of my coven, and I was being quite literal. My favorite person, my youngest witch, Zenobia, had to move away, you see. Sick family, a change in careers, losing a lease, it was all very sad, you see. So I decided that I would just surprise her, and follow her here. I'm sure she'll be sooo happy to see me again. And, once we're both settled, I'll start a new coven. You're all welcome to join me, if you wish, though I'm afraid you would have to be apprentice witches until you learned the ceremonies."

[Mhairi Ankaa]

"B-Brazen." Mhairi was sort of in awe of that sort of attitude. For if not for her mom and Autumn's mystical reputation she would have been a Winter. "That is-ah an interesting idea. But...it makes-ah sense. A-a lot of-ah sense actually." she'd lost manya things only for them to be right in front of her eyes.

Mhairi smiles at the approving nod. Even if she blushes a little. She wasn't the one to set up Edna's but she is the one who's now keeping it going.

"It's all-ah good Morgan." says Mhairi with a laugh, "I-ah wouldn't want you too! And-ah everyone says that-ah-that Green's awesome. Speaking of Green. Could-ah you give me his number? My-ah early New Year's Resolution is to-ah-to hang out with him!" Mhairi finishes with a resolute nod.

Morgause had a point. There was a clear difference between them.

"I-ah...don't think either of you seem like a-a buried under snow type." Striking Winter out as a Court of them to join. Should she try recruiting them? Witches and Coven...it did sound like the Cat Queen had a foot in Autumn's door already.

"So you ha-haven't yet surprised uh-Zenobia?" Morgause seemed like she wasn't a Beast that shied away from her nature. She could just imagine a cat doing something like this. "...uh..." comes from Mhairi lips, she didn't quite know what to make of an offer to join a muggleish coven. "Maybe. I mean-if-err....Sure. I could-ah check it out....?" It definitely sounds likes a question.

[Yog-Sothoth]

Gwendolyn didn't think that many would really understand her logic or be comfortable with her choice. Many times lost errored on the side of caution and went strait to hiding. She could sit around and mope and cry in the shadows about losing her former life and normalcy or she could give all the gentry a big fuck you and do what she wanted. It may not be the smartest route to take, but it was immensely more satisfying...to her at least.

"Na," Gwen said with a shake of her head. "Crying in a dark corner isn't really my thing...no offense."

At least there was some common ground that all of them didn't really seem to like hiding all that much. She might be able to get along with the lost here after all.

The invitation to a coven of witches struck Gwen as a little odd.Was that like a luncheon or social gathering for Californians or something? Maybe she was being overly critical? She as a little curious what happened at things like that.

"Well it should be interesting," she began thoughtfully. "If you get something started I'd be happy to attend."

Gwendolyn hoped that it was not going to be a problem and that this favorite person of hers would be glad to see the cat lady again. That would just be rather awkward if it turns out her favorite person was trying run away or something.

[Morgan Bellanar]

She nods at Mhairi's question, "Certinaly Mhairi, tis, heh, my pleasure to help ye and Green be friends, heh." The Beast even fishes out her phone to share the number with Mhairi right then and there.

Morgan's expression went from curious to wide eyed quickly, then worried at the explanation of this covern. Her expression turned flat as Mhairi expressed interest in Morgause's witchcraft. After a pause she just raised her right hand: "Query, Miss Morgause? With, heh, coven I guess ye tis more scary sort and nay angry, cold, or giddy. Yay for, heh, that. But thine coven doth, heh, avoid the dumber occult traditions, yes? Like letting poison vipers bite ye? Or inviting spirits to possess ye? And aught akin to, heh, such folly?" Because no way the Scrivener or her Queen getting involved in a group that thought that stuff was a good idea.

"Heh, if ye doth nay to aught like that I shalt hath interest in further occult studies. Tis a interesting, heh, subject to be sure, heh."

[Morgause]

Morgause gave a small laugh and shook her head, her fingers already plucking another chocolate from the bag. Now that all three Lost were closer, however, they saw that it wasn't actually the painted nails on Morgause's hands that tore open the candy, but rather a sharp claw that lifted itself out from underneath the nail of her forefinger just long enough to tear through the plastic before it disappeared once more.

"Do I look like someone that is overly fond of scaly things, my superstitious friend?" the Cat Queen inquired before biting into the candy and chewing once, then twice, and swallowed.

"Actually," she amended with a mischievous smile, "there is occasionally a python involved, but it's purely for the mystique of the thing. That is a secret I'll share with you now, as we are just becoming friends, but I'm afraid you'll have to pass initiation before I'll divulge any others. It is my coven, after all. Something to keep me occupied, and well fed."

She paused to lick some small remnants of chocolate from her fingers, her nails shifting subtly so that the claws beneath could be cleaned as well.

"But all that in due time. For now I'm much more interested in getting to know all of you. You seem so fascinating, and certainly very opinionated. I would think you would have more sympathy for beliefs in spirit possession. The cultures that have those believes almost all developed them as a coping mechanism for slavery and forced relocation. That is a topic which we can all sympathize with, can we not? Perhaps we don't agree, but it's actually something that strikes closer to home than we might at first think."

The Cat Queen gave an elegant shrug and her smile faded into something enigmatically polite.

"Since we're on the topic, however, I suppose it would be rude of me not to ask: do you three happen to have any particular beliefs?"

[Mhairi Ankaa]

"None-ah-none taken." with everything that had happened this year she realized that Autumn was the place for her. "If-ah-if I let my-ah Fear rule me...I-ah-I wouldn't be able to-ah-to rule my Fear." Mhairi says with a smirk, feeling a little like Yoda.

Maybe her Star Wars loving Courtier would be amused by her words.

"Awesome!" Mhairi gives Morgan her patented crooked grin as Green's number is safely filed away in her contact list.

The her brow furrows at Morgan's question, before nodding. Occult studies were very interesting indeed.

"I"m not-ah-not one who likes things with no legs, or-ah too many legs." it wasn't a Fear, more of an instinctive icky, reaction to snakes and spiders.

Occupied and well fed?

Did the Cat Queen keep a coven just for the glamour?

"Really?" Mhairi asks, sharing a look with Morgan. It was a topic that struck close to home and the Cat Queen knew that. "I-ah-I didn't know that." But there was a lot that the Wisp didn't know.

In the middle of a Halloween store with 'lings she'd only met talking about her beliefs that she knew that other Lost would find strange..."We've-ah-only just met. I-ah don't want to give away all my-ah secrets." trying for mysterious instead of defensive.