Tavern Talk

[Ingrid]

Deep in Funderland's playing grounds is a Wishing Well. Its a piece of artistry and whimsey, but if you push out some of that delightful Glamour it opens into a rabbit hole; a rabbit hole that cuts straight through the Thorns into a wondrous place: a fairy tavern.

With a low ceiling and rounded walls like a hobbit hole. Round windows through which rich, yellow, light almost as thick as treacle, cuts into the enchanting gloom. Walls of panelled wood, in places richly carved, tease the eye. There are tables and chairs now - not all matching - and none of the furniture is boring. This is Spring's space and if the hint of alcohol isn't in the air, then the Vernal Sovereign's plum aroma definitely will be.

Ingrid, dressed in black, is waiting at a small round table. Her long fingers are cupped around a long and ghastly looking cigarette. Shadows pool, like rippling ink blots, at her feet. Sunglasses crown her head.

A bearded hipster attempts to clean the glassware at the bar. Attempts. The Vernal Sovereign's ensorcelled still has much to learn.
Rhodes Xadun

[Rhodes]

Looking around Funderland the Wishing Well was easy enough to find, although there didn't seem to be any space to meet nearby. Rhodes could feel the doorway nearby. A Hollow! Excellent.

Reaching into the the pocket of his thunderspun coat, he pulls out a wallet, extracts a dime, tosses and catches it, then throws it into the well. Watching the coin carefully, he watches it ripple oddly as it hits the water. He smiles, leaning over the edge of the well, pressing glamour into the doorway and feeling it open within. Grinning, he mounts the wall to the well and goes down the rabbit-hole that opens.

He sees the tavern as described, and breaks into a broad grin as he steps over the Threshold and moves confidently towards Ingrid's table. "Queen Ingrid!" Rhodes' tone is cheery as he inclines his head in the same bow he did some weeks before. "I'm so glad you could meet me. You had intrigued me when we met at the Summer Coronation - Why the last Dread Queen would leave you the keys, your vehemence against Lucifer... Besides that, as the Director of the Freehold I was hoping to learn a little more about the Freehold itself, in general. But before all that, might I buy you a drink?" He turns to the bartender. "A scotch on the rocks, if you have ice..?" he looks around the bar, "A Jura or Glenkrieg if you have it... and whatever the Lady desires."

[Ingrid]

Apart from being an artist and general man about town, Angus is also a discerning drinker. He manages to prepare drinks for the pair: scotch on the rocks for the Ashen Courtier; a simple beer for the Vernal Sovereign.

"Well hello," Ingrid purred.

"Take a seat. Why, thank you Angus! And no need to buy. Spring can cover this. Intrigue, hey? Now that is a word. A strong word!" Her smile began to fade and she took to the bottle to manage her sudden surge of nerves.

"Not much to say, really. Mhairi - the previous Ashen Sovereign - was a motley mate. Ah. She left. I got the keys for safe keeping. It would not have looked good to keep hold of them for too long and I wanted to offload them quickly. I thought Luci was the only Autumn Courtier in residence till you and Wolfgang showed up at the Coronation. You had the stronger Mantle."

She took a steadying breath and drew on her cigarette. The beer perspired in front of her.

"As for the Freehold in general... What did you want to know?"

[Rhodes]

"A strong word? perhaps, but one of my favourites," The Fariest states with a grin, as the wind of Rhodes' Mantle whips sharply around the tavern. "Yes, I had assumed it came down to Mantle. Holding on to another Court's possessions would put you in a precarious situation, Freehold title or no.... though I fear that has happened anyway. I understand heated tempers, but the accusations made..." His voice trails off smoothly. "I doubt this is something easily glossed over. Of course you could put your faith in Lucifer's diplomatic nature and calm rational to negotiate with." The Flowering doesn't even bother to hide his smirk.

Rhodes takes a sip of his drink, letting the taste spread over his mouth. The smirk relaxes into a genuine smile. "Delicious. But enough of the past, Queen Ingrid. My concern is the future - mine, my Court's, and our people's. I wanted to fill in some gaps in my knowledge that I haven't been able to fill by my late-night wanderings. I.... am something of a night-owl, as one might suspect of the Dread Court." He smiles warmly. "So, specifics. How to access the local Goblin Market. Do all the Courts hold Hallows such as this one? Common accesses to the Hedge. Those manner of things, to begin with." He notes her tense posture. "Do try to relax, Your Highness," the Flowering says gently. "I'm only trying to learn things any paranoid escapee with a penchant for delving back into our supernatural mysteries would look for. My Courtly duty is to ensure Autumn has access to the resources it needs to understand Fae magics as best we can."

[Ingrid]

Ingrid breathed deeply through her pretty nose. She twisted in her seat. She blew smoke, which snaked oily and insubstantial around her head.

"I'm not making nice with a bully who thinks she can simply scream for attention and get what she wants." The words were firm. The slight tremor in her voice was not. And the fact she had left the keys on the table completely ignored.

"And as for the other stuff - what am I supposed to think? We all learned our tricks of the trade in our Durance. We all bought some of distant Arcadia back with us, no matter what we may tell ourselves. For a weak mantled beauty to harp on about her mystic mastery... To me! In front of the whole Freehold... Well, she is either lying or not telling the whole truth, if you know what I'm saying."

The Darkling sniffed.

"As for the other stuff. Well... See... As far as I know there is no Goblin Market. The last one was a shit show that got swept away when this big bad Dragon was done away with - this Dragon had been menacing the old Freehold and pretty much crushed it, so I hear. Funderland was the rebuilding. Rebranding. Of the old... You understand?"

A shrug - or a shiver.

"Don't rightly know what the other Courts have. I built this - with some help from Seraphina... And I think, maybe, Echo has done something to it on the quiet. Winter may have something... Somewhere. Oh! They have a Jazz club. Sasha owns it. Seraphina owns Garden Grounds, a coffee club. And... well, thats it really. Funderland is just a meeting spot and makes some money. We get enough out of it to put a roof over the head of other Lost who are passing through. And thats about it. Oh, yeah! I put some markers around town to help guide Lost souls to us if they break free anywhere in the city. Had a couple of bites, too."

She drew on her cigarette. Where had those Lost gone?

"If you want, you can go exploring the old prohibition tunnels under the park. I hear there is a Gate down there if you want to go exploring. I know one group did - I think they had to run some trouble makers off, or something." Ingrid added vaguely.

[Rhodes]

Rhodes allows the attractive Darkling to vent her emotions, waiting until she finishes her tirade. "Fear can be an elegant tool, a primal force, or it can be a bludgeon. I know what I prefer, and I do not shy from using it." His smile is hard, looking sinister. "Queen Ingrid, I did not agree with Lucifer's actions, or her claims. But it will be your claims, not hers, that are scrutinized." The expression softens. "But I did not come to talk about this - it is not my place. Your arguments are your own affair, and Lucifer's are not mine. In other matters, I hope to work with all our Freehold. As it's Director, you were a logical place to begin." The Flowering's face becomes an honest smile.

The Fairest nods. "A restoration from a Dragon? Sounds fearful. It must have been a lot of work. Perhaps with enough action in the city we may find a new Market. We can only hope - they can provide us with so much."

"I did speak with Queen Sasha after... you left the coronation. I must admit, I found her a delight." He sips the whiskey and raises his glass at the mention of the waymarkers. "Markers, yes... I myself found some of the ones that lead to Funderland after a few days wandering around. Perhaps expanding that network may be useful."

Rhodes' eyebrow arches at the mention of the tunnels, clearly intrigued. "Really? That sounds fascinating. And a Gate you say? That could hold many possibilities. I don't suppose you would happen to know anyone that would be interested in seeing what secrets lie below?" This topic seems to have really piqued the Fairest's interest.

[Ingrid]

"My claim..."

Ingrid sounded as if she had been struck. Contempt flared in her eyes and her lips crawled back from her gums. She turned to her drink before she continued.

"Oh well! At least I'm good for something," she replied, surly. She took a draw on her cigarette and blew smoke.

"I believe Quick and Seraphina went exploring earlier in the year. They might have a tale to tell, if you ask."

[Rhodes]

Rhodes watches the reaction passively. "Queen Ingrid, I mean no offense. If not a claim, what would you call it? Please, try to see things from my persepective, as a new arrival. You accused Lucifer of being a Loyalist. That prospect is terrifying enough. But we cannot condemn without evidence, lest we be as tyrannical as our enslavers. I, for one, will certainly be watching her very, very closely." There is the clinking sound as he swirlds the ice in his glass slowly.

The Fairest is confused at the Spring Queen's surliness. "Good for some...? I... Your Highness, I found them most useful. I was merely musing to myself as something helpful I could do during my nighly wanderings. Adding to your sound foundations is simple, and all it takes is time.... if you have no objections?" He drains his glass, and sets it down gently. The Fairest inhales the smoke ever so slightly, as if savouring the acrid flavour. The Queen of Desire seems to need velvet gloves. She is a whirl of passion and sensitivity, but that seems to overwhelm her. A vulnerable ego that adopts a wall of strength.

After his musings, he nods. "Quick... the sharp-dressed Winter, as I recall. I do not believe I have met Seraphina, but maybe I shall soon. You said she owned the Garden Grounds coffee shop?" Rhodes makes a note in a notebook pulled from a pocket, then tries to move the conversation away from things Ingrid clearly rankles at. "You have certainly given me several things to look into in the next few weeks. I do have an inquisitive mind. It drew me to Autumn, and their sorceries. Actually, it drew me to Arcadia, chasing a mysterious shape in the woodlands... When I broke free, I wanted to fight back against my captor, but I am... not a fighter, especially following my Durance. I had to find other tools to strike with." He looks down into the empty glass with an air of meloncholy, and then looks up sharply, as if only just remembering she was there. "My apologies... My mind ran away for a few moments." The Fairest clears his throat, straightening himself in the chair. "What of you, Queen Ingrid, if I may ask? You are Director, Queen of Spring, a clear etherial beauty... What drew you to Desire, and the eventual throne?" He puts on an easy smile with a twinkle in his eye. "Or if you'd prefer something more lighthearted, do you have any hobbies? As I said, I do find you intriguing. I like to know a little about those I hope to work with."

Ideally as the Dread Lord, but setting myself up as an Autumn you can work with instead of Lucifer is a good foundation.

[Ingrid]

Ingrid breathed and inhaled slowly. Her smile was brittle.

"Well. Look at it from my perspective. Lucifer stood there claiming she had learned Eldritch secrets from the Hedge. The only way I know you do that is you are either a powerful Courtier, or get yourself Entitled. Or... learn at the feet of the Gentry. Or trade with them their secrets - which is just as bad."

Another pause as she breathed, puffed furiously on her cigarette.

"Oh I have no objections if you wish to contribute to the Freehold. We need it, to be honest."

There was another pause as Ingrid switched back to the beer, nursing it for a long moment.

"I like secrets. Always have. At least, I think so. Don't remember much of my Durance but I do know that my escape hinged on my learning some Arcane... stuff..." Her hand waved airily, as if she was trying to pluck those same secrets from the air.

"It wasn't long before that desire for secrets. Uncovering secrets. Wanting secrets. You know. Wasn't long before that got me my first taste of the Emerald Court. I mean, for a while I could have gone Ash. But its more the wanting and the hunting of secrets, rather than the possessing and the using of them, I guess. If that makes sense."

She sniffed.

"Spring chose me. I didn't pick the crown. My mantle flared and there it was. As for being Director - someone had to do it. Mhairi - your previous Sovereign - held it but it was too much. I admit, it almost overwhelmed me till I took some advice and turned into a trust fund parasite. Of course, the price of that is I get less sway in the day-to-day running of the park. But since it hasn't become the place of work and safety that we had hoped, I guess we can live with that."

"Hobbies? Well... I guess you could call being a piss poor P.I. a hobby. People watching is such fun!"

[Rhodes]

Rhodes inclines his head as Ingrid explains her perspective. "I understand that concern. So often can Autumn be considered the Icarus of the Courts as far as that version of power goes. Reaching too high, delving too deep - there are several examples in history and hearsay."

It doesn't warrant accusations of loyalsm, though. But that will be cyclic - I want to move on.

He smiles as she agrees to continue on the Freehold's markers. "You sound as if people do not want to help the Freehold. Just by looking around it is clearly the first line of defence for us in the city, the size being what it is."
The Fairest nods as Ingrid explains her passion for secrets. "Yes... That makes complete sense to me. It's a fine distinction, but an important one. Plus it answers the question that arose naturally for me - why Emerald and not Ash. Another?" He rises, gesturing to the bottle. "I also enjoy rooting for secrets - but it seems whereas you went the one way, I went the other." The irony of turning Ophelia's soceries back upon her was too delicious to ignore. If Ingrid offers the bottle, he takes both to the bar for new drinks.

"It is!" Rhodes whirls around, his expressive answer genuine. "People are so fascinating! Their ticks, their lies, their wants, their needs.... their fears..." He tails off, before resuming brightly. "And if you do it for pleasure, then it is a hobby, regardless of what it is. Though even a self-taught amateur garners skill, so you'll forgive me if I doubt you are, as you say, piss-poor." The Flowering smiles broadly, his clear enthusiasm at social topics shines through his usually concealed demanour almost infectiously. "I must admit, my preference is to be a social creature. The cut and thrust of debate, outwitting another with arguement..." He returns to the seat with more drinks, a repeat of the order. "I'm sure it was involved somehow in my Durance but, as ever, the memories get confusing. I'm pretty sure I enjoyed it before, but it seems so long ago." He shrugs, still smiling.