A Favoured Corner Once Again

[Ingrid]

The club was minimalist.

Brick walls; solid, unadorned, floor; rather ugly aesthetic. The only expenses had been laid out on the stage and the sound system. This was a club for those interested in the music, not simply being seen. There was alcohol but the vibe and the peer pressure kept down the drinking; this was not a place to fight. The bar's developing clientele knew this.

Tonight they are in for a treat: several veteran acts, folk musician's all, are set to play. The pagan and the Bohemian set is out in force. The press of bodies provided another layer of security, even if the chatter and noise was so much louder - and seemingly more-so given the relative size of the establishment.

But Ingrid was not deterred. By the top of the hour she was in place. She had secured her favoured corner where the chances of them being disturbed were slim; and given the press of bodies tonight, they really could hide in plain sight. Not only that, but the shadowed recess comforted her Darkling tendencies and the brick walls offered an extra layer of desperately wanted cold.

The Vernal Sovereign and Director of the Freehold had an untouched bottle and two glasses before her. She was dressed for the cooling weather: in jeans, sneakers, with a light jumper that gave her some colour. A scarf was wrapped artfully around her neck and her much abused peaked cap was squashed firmly on her head.

Shadows leeched toward the Darkling where she sat. Her Mean gleamed white and alien in the gloaming that surrounded her.
Abyssalstar Sonnie Wu

[Sonnie Wu]

The newcomer arrived on time, casually strolling into the club. Her golden eyes took in various details of the environment around her as she slipped through the growing crowd, a curious smile playing on her lips. As her text had mentioned, the attractive young Asian woman was indeed barefoot, and she avoided getting her toes stepped upon by the gathered strangers with practiced ease.

The toes in question were as long as fingers, and more than once one of her feet would close up like a fist to evade someone's shoe or boot. Once Sonnie had spotted her contact, her pace quickened slightly, the long monkey tail weaving through the air behind her.

She came dressed in blue jeans, a purple hoodie worn unzipped, and a black t-shirt with the Planet of the Apes movie logo on it. A knit wool beanie, also purple, adorned her head. She brought a messenger bag, the strap crossing from her right shoulder down to her left hip. The scent of a fresh spring breeze seemed to carry with her.

Sonnie peered carefully at the woman in the shadowy corner, though her expression was friendly. "Uh, hi! I'm Sonnie. You'd be Ingrid, I'm guessing? Shot in the dark, I know!" Her voice softened to avoid it carrying far beyond two Lost. "Should I bow or something? Or would that be weird? That'd be weird, right?" Her smile had a mischievous quality, showing she was clearly kidding about displays of courtly manners in front of all these mortals.

[Ingrid]

Ingrid watched as the newcomer approached. A new Changeling. Could it be the Sonnie who had texted earlier? The Darkling lifted herself slightly, clearly intent of checking out the newcomers... feet. Yes. Yes! Exactly as described.

"Oh don't bother with that now! Sit! Sit!"

Ingrid smiled broader, gesturing freely for the Beast-kin to join her. In the same movement, the Darkling took up the bottle and poured for them both: a dark red by the look of it. Shadowy filaments, sticky as tar and oozing, trailed when the Darkling's limbs passed through the skein of shadow about them.

The explosion of plum scent that accompanied Ingrid's pouring would quickly dispel any notion that she was not of the Spring Court.

"Yes. I'm Ingrid. Director... Of the Freehold."

Ingrid's eyes narrowed briefly as a laughing pair shuffled past. A little too close for comfort.

Ingrid leaned in, a hand toying with her glass. "Director of the Freehold. Vernal Sovereign. Darkling. Hope you don't mind the hustle and bustle. This place puts on a good show and no one notices us in this corner. So... Tell me something about yourself. What brings you here?"

[Sonnie Wu]

With the invitation, Sonnie pulled her messenger bag off her shoulder and hopped into the other chair at the Darkling's table. She pulled her knees up to her chest, and her hand-like feet gripped the forward edge of the seat. After tucking her bag into the chair with her, the Beast accepted the offered glass from Ingrid and sniffed it's contents curiously.

"Oh, thank you! Thank you! And don't worry, I like the hustle and bustle. I like it when things are busy and noisy."

Sonnie paused to take an experimental sip of her drink while the mortal couple passed their table, eyeing them more of curiosity than any sort of suspicion. Once they were past, she leaned towards Ingrid and smiled.

"What brings me here? Oh, several things, I guess. I've been wandering the country for the last year or so. Walkabout, you could call it. It's been awesome, but I need a job, and... well, it gets lonely. I decided to kill two birds with one stone and find community and a paycheck in the same place!"

The monkey girl took another sip of her red liquor and thought for a moment before she spoke again.

"As for why here specifically? I've got family in San Francisco, and, um, I worry about them, but I can't get too close. Yanno, my evil twin and all that."

[Ingrid]

Ingrid was nodding along until Sonnie mentioned San Francisco. She paused, appeared to study the Beast-kith, and then drank from her wine.

"Good move. 'Frisco is... not a good choice for us right now. Too much - eh - violent change."

She placed down her glass.

"Officially the Freehold is out at Funderland, a little theme park on the south side of town. I say officially but we are spread around a bit. The Emerald Court has a Hollow out that way. Door is through the wishing well. But one of us owns a coffee house called Garden Grounds - Seraphina. The Autumn Court also have a holding out at Funderland, so its probably a good idea to stay away from the ghost house unless invited. Their king is Rhodes."

"Winter has some place at the theme park too. The Onyx Queen is Sasha. She owns the Blue Note. Its a jazz club and often doubles as a social function space for our Freehold."

Ingrid shrugged.

"We got plans to make a more permanent home on the Other Side but those plans are still being thrashed out."

She leaned back in her seat.

"You'll want to know who else has a spring in their step, right? Well. There is me. And Seraphina. Freya... is kinda like you. You'll know when you see her. And Titania."

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie's pleasant expression dimmed when violence in San Francisco was mentioned. This was apparently news to her.

"Really? Crap. Can't say I know much of anything about their club. I was born and raised there, in Chinatown. When I came crawling back out the thorns, a few of the locals found me and got me oriented. New I.D., Springed me up. I was thankful but I didn't stick around for much more than a week. Hope they're okay."

She paid close attention as Ingrid gave her a run down on the local freehold, tilting her head curiously and nodding along. She took out her phone and looked up the addresses for Funderland and the other mundane locations mentioned while she spoke.

"I don't know the city too well, yet. But I will. I work as a courier, so I'm always roaming all over town. Gimme a few weeks and I'll know Sacramento like a drunk bridesmaid! So, yanno, if the club needs stuff delivered around, I can help. Haven't set foot in the local Hedge yet, though. I'll probably figure out the trods soon enough. I love exploring!"

Sonnie paused and scratched an ear with the tip of her tail, then smiled at the Vernal Queen.

"I wanna be useful. Besides being a pack mule, I can fight, and I know some first aid magic. So, um, whatever I can do for you, Your Delightfully Dark Majesty, just let me know! Good booze, by the way!"

The Beast giggled softly and took another sip from her glass.

[Ingrid]

Now it was Ingrid's turn to burst into laughter.

"Oh good! We are a small holding, right? We haven't really explored much of the Other Side yet. But we will. You'll be welcome there."

Ingrid was looking directly at the Beast-kith.

"But... I'm guessing you have more questions, right?"

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie chewed on her bottom lip in thought, and her toes drummed on the chair.

"Questions. Questions. Well, you already answered most of what I would of asked. Let's see... You didn't mention who's the hotness of Summer. Oh, and Autumn is in charge right now, right? So, should I pay respects to this Rhodes guy?"

Her glass was empty by now, and her hands idly played with it. Her golden eyes turned to look directly back at Ingrid.

"Any places I should avoid? Like bad neighborhoods? Places Their flunkies might hang out? Those kinda pirates is how I got taken on a bad trip to begin with."

[Ingrid]

"Rhodes is the King of the Ash. I'm... Director of the Freehold. Which is to say... I keep a watch for the Seasonal cycle. And try and think for the Freehold rather than simply a Court. I do Court stuff, too. But you could say Director is my... job... right now."

Ingrid placed her hands on the table, then gesticulated wildly.

"Oh! The Crimson crowd. They would be Circe's people. Can't miss Circe. She is blue, you know. Just so you know. You'll know her when you see her. Everyone does. Its how Circe is, you know?"

The gesticulating slows.

"As far danger spots? Who knows? The Freehold here is tiny. We keep to ourselves. So... No danger zones, really. But watch yourself in Dreams. We... Ah! We think something might be afoot. A couple of us - yours truly included - got sucked into something They created a little while back. It might be related to 'Frisco. But we don't know for sure, yet."

"We don't have many Hedge Gates either. So the Other Side is wide open. Just, you know, be careful. The cavalry might not come... So make friends and head in groups, yeah?"

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie's eyes bounced about, following Ingrid's rapid hand movements, and inwardly she had to push down the urge to curiously grab at those hands.

Don't paw at the Queen, stupid monkey!

Thankfully the subject changed quickly enough that the Beast was distracted and the simian urge went away. She nods her head repeatedly to Ingrid's words.

"Well, I'm sorry she's depressed, but it seems wrong to just say that's how it is. Can we do anything to help her -- oh wait, you mean she's actually physically blue, don't you?"

She smirks and rolls her eyes at her own oddball assumption as she sets her empty glass down on the table.

"Sometimes my curiosity gets the better of me, but I'll try not to wander into any random Hedge gates I come across. Not alone, anyway. I think that covers my questions for now, Your High Directorness. So, are we cool? Do you have any more questions for me? Can I visit this place in the wishing well to meet other Emeralds? Oh, that was a bunch more questions, wasn't it? D'oh!"