(17WC) Fire and Lightning

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Quick's silent invite hose unnoticed for a moment before it clicks the pink fire that had settled and bleached under her pale glow reignites as the wisp nods and joins the Winter at the table.

"Hi...?" a greeting and a question. Why did the man what to talk to her? They've never really done that...but that might just be it.

[Quick]

"Hi, yourself. Been here a little while now... but you've been longer, right?" He leaves out a joke about more or less running the Freehold. But the implication is there; Mhairi's a seasoned veteran. And up until now Quick has more or less avoided her. Not tonight. Not during his Season's night to shine. "Just wanted to get to know you better. Maybe hear some of your stories. Cuz, you know, its a good time to reflect."

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Mhairi blinks, motes of fire, drift, sputter and die the farther from the wisp they float.

"Ah." she nods, "Three years. Basically today. Like I got here a month or so before. But I didn't wanna rock the boat. So uh. Yeah. Three years." she babbles out. Paradoxically delighted about her tenure and disillusioned by the zero progress made to find and free her mom.

Another awkward sound of acknowledgement "What kind of stories? I do have a few but-uh. What did you-ah wanna know?"

[Quick]

Three years? Which means she'd known so many other Freeholders. A series of blinks follows his train of thought. "You were here? Like... for the Dragon thing?" he all but blurts out. A second later he realizes just how insensitive that probably sounds. "Oh! Sorry. Just heard that there used to be more. Of us." He's really not doing well at being sensitive. Or, at least, sounding that way. The Elemental's arms drop out to his sides and he makes a slow, pronounced exhale.

"I just want to learn more. About the others who were here. Before me. And I'll share some history with you, too." There. That sounds better to his his ears. It dawns on him that he's expected the Autumn Queen to seem much more intimidating. Err... confident, at least. If anything, she seems almost shy.

[Mhairi Ankaa]

"Ah." she should have known that's what he wanted. "Well, I was here for the end. But not the beginning. If you want to know all of those details...Sasha's the only one who knows...she-she was there." she swallows, the stories she heard about gouts of flame and death and Freeholders stolen. "But uh...stories. I have a few. I fought him. I mean, through stubterfuge og course. Uproot him from Sacramento, but..I made in bleed in the Dream once. Pissed him off. Made him Lois his cool. It was...terrifying. But. Exhilarating too." she smile then, remembering the confusing mix of joy and terror.

A nod, her smile turns sad. "We did, long before Funderland was an idea. There was what? Thirty of us all, Lost coming and going, a few stating for a few months or a year, everyone moves on. It used to be a vibrant mess, sometimes you didn't know the faces of every freeholder. But it was interesting." fell flames flicker, memories stoking the fires. "Is there anything. Specific you wanna know? I could just ramble on, but uh. I don't think you'd want here that."

[Quick]

The Levinquick's hands start moving as he talks. "That's... that's intense. Good for you though. Must have felt good to pay him back a little." He doesn't miss her stutter a little bit - never heard her do that before - but he doesn't bring it up.

"Memories, huh? Sounds like the Freehold used to be pretty packed." He pauses a moment to consider her question, one hand tracing over the edge of his jaw. "Who were you closest to? Back then?" He blinks a few times, hand suddenly finding the back of his neck. "Well, let me start. You can tell me after, if you want. Might feel kind of sad, thinking back on all this. But... 'tis the season', right?"

Quick takes another sip of his champagne before starting. "Back in Manhattan, where I'm from? Used to run in a little street gang. Started as me and my friends. The poor kids, you know? My family lived upstairs from the diner my folks worked in. So we never used to hang at my place after school. We'd just hit the streets and cause trouble." A ghost of a smile appears on his face. "That's how me and Mark got close. He was my first. And, if we're being honest? My parents never would have approved. They never found out since I never brought him home." He shrugs, as if it were no big deal. "But our whole relationship was a secret. Only our group knew about us. Middle school, high school. Right up to the day I get a scholarship for running track." His countenance starts to drop, looking more frustrated than sad. "We promised to stick together in college. But... They screwed it up. Broke free wanting nothing more than to find him. And the Fetch beat me to it." Quick shakes his head, his jaw tensing. "So I went and threw it all away. Over jealousy. Even though he thought it was me."

He lets out a breath. He can almost physically feel the burden lessen over disclosing all of that. How he managed without fidgeting uncontrollably is beyond him. "But, you know... I still have the memories. Sure as hell wouldn't be who I am today if I never met him. What about you?" he asks, hoping he paved the way for this... shy Monarch to share some of her past.

[Mhairi Ankaa]

Mhairi watches his hands, having met others who couldn't help but feel reassured. She could use then, rather then his face to hopefully tell his mood.

She laughs, "It did...when I woke up, I was so drained. My head hurt so much that I couldn't even think about getting out if bed."

A nod, Sorrow...Sasha was never the one to seem sad, but she was the Onyx Monarch, and since dawning the crown her mantle had grown leaps and bounds. "There's a few. Coco. Who no one really liked. She was mean. But she was a friend. She left the night I swore my Osth and gained the Autumn Crown. Morgan. She was an Autumn....and was a close friend." her Paladin. "She left to follow after her Mötley mate, Green. I don't begrudge her that choice, but I miss her all the same. Ava...she was in an accident...one I'm sure was arranged by the Dragon. Ramona. She...I guess took a wrong turn and ended up lost in the hedge. I hope. I hope she's wandering a kicking butt. But...." the former Queen of Summer could very well be a Market slave, or returned to who she escaped from.

Mhairi shakes her head and sips her drink.

Turning her mind to the story, the truth of what Quick was telling her. She nods and pictures what he says. Understanding. "I...always wanted to be normal. But my mom and me...we were always I. The road, running cons. She tried to make me understand and appreciate our lives...history. Traditions. But I didn't. I wanted the white picket fence, kids, husband. Cat and dog. My fetch got all that. I ended up killing her. I was just so angry. But...I left a husband without a wife and kids without their mom. I felt.." she head shakes. Memories pressing in. "So I get it. Sorta. I mean. I killed mine, and you...I don't know. But yeah." Mhairi sighs swallowing more of her drink. "But. Uh. This isn't flowing great." a nervous laugh. "Tradition. It's what got me. You know. And. My uncle. And...my mom. My uncle's free. Working as a Winter forger. Helping new Lost get papers. But my mom....she's-she's still There. So. Yeah. That's my sad story." she hoped that Autumn had secrets she could learn to free her mom but the Freehold, her friends...it all made her mom seem distant and not unimportant but, not as pressing. Mhairi sighs, draining her drink. She was a horrible person.

[Quick]

A mean friend named Coco? Sounds like a name for a cereal box character more than some grouch no one likes. Quick smiles at the thought. Too bad he doesn't have a face to go with the name, or he'd be imagining the cereal box as we speak. A blink. "Guessing they all helped you some. To get where you are now." Sasha had mentioned Green before, too. He'd have to ask his fellow Winter more about him.

He follows her along her story, blinking here and there and offering a nod. When she finishes, the Levinquick brings a closed fist to the side of his head and explodes the fingers outward. "Mind. Blown. We got a lot in common, you know. Both ran cons. Both touched the the primal side of Arcadia." Which might explain her stutter. His own reckless energy and fleeting attention span were owed largely to that. "And we both killed the Fetch." Quick nods grimly to punctuate that fact. "But chose not to step back into the hole left by, you know, their 'passing'." If you could call it that. People pass away; things get destroyed. Just because a thing wears your face doesn't make it human. Or at least he tells himself that.

"And, for the record? Your story might be sad, but you've got us. The Freehold." Cautiously, he reaches out to touch her shoulder. Or, well, as far up her arm as he can get. Without that leaden stole getting in the way. Which, lets be honest, is pretty creepy. But whatever. Another blink as he remembers himself and offers a kind smile. "My advice? Don't give up on your mom."

Having offered what he hopes will pass for comfort, Quick steps back and drain the rest of his champagne - forcing him to quickly cover his mouth to muffle a burp from all the bubbles. "Want to rejoin the party?"

If Mhairi has more to add privately, Quick will stay. Otherwise, he will rejoin the main thread.

[Mhairi Ankaa]

"They did. she nods, and tries to ignore the hiss and steam that cones from the corners of her eyes.

A laugh. "I guess we do. Maybe if I talked to you first, I might have snagged you away from Winter," saught lightly. Teasingly. She really didn't mean it. She'd never begrudge someone their Court. "Thanks...and I uh guess you shouldn't give up on love. I...err." Mhairi fumbles then let's it drop. She didn't know what to say.

A other nod, "And the same hose to you. It might be smaller but it's still good and uh. Yeah. It's home and... " again her words fail her so she finishes with a smile instead.

A blink. "Ah...sure." not wanting to monopolize his time when this was his (and Sasha's) party.

I'm good to rejoin the party,

[Quick]

If she had any idea... him. An Autumn. Quick laughs in turn.

Seeing Mhairi struggling for words, he smiles gently. "And it's home. Probably all that matters." he finishes. Giving her a polite little incline of his head, Quick rejoins the rest of the party.

Quick rejoins the main thread. Thanks for the side thread!