Two Kings a Carousing

[Richard Price]

”Escape was a whimper, a freak chance for myself. Pitiful really, but you will never hear me complaining. No one should measure their exit by any standard, it's just good they get out. If everything was just a convenient series of accidents I will take it. There isn’t a good story from the otherside. I am just happy that those of us who have made it out did.”

The Crimson King shifted on his heels, turning quite smoothly for a man his size and smiled before he began to take a few steps towards the entrance, listening to the proposal of the Dread Lord while he made the journey and opened the patio door and stepped aside to make sure Rhodes could slip in before him.

”Fingers crossed that something positive comes from this all. If there is any bridge built I would like to see it successfully crossed. If you can help - if he reaches out, you will have my gratitude. If it escalates further than I will have to take measures that are more than just a glorified time out.”

Once they went inside he made sure to close the door behind him. There was no need to risk insects and other pests getting in while they lounged. The scent of the Thai food on the island had permeated through entire kitchen. Before that however, Rich had made his way to the table and put a hand on the box. He lifted it up to reveal the regal the set up.

”Tullibardine 1952, cost me a very pretty penny. But I was able to get a hook up through my man back in L.A. when I made my most recent trip. Figured I would have a reason to put it to use when we finally met. But hey, I figure there are times where Kings need to splurge.”

He shrugged when he raised his concern, and then finished off with a chuckle as he revealed the alcohol. Five digits, no big deal.

And my original post was deleted when the site went down, so I had to make it up. Super sorry for the wait!

[Rhodes]

Rhodes nods slowly. Richard was right, of course. There were no "good" escapes, or "bad" escapes. Only escapes.

He follows the Crimson King back to the door and precedes Richard into the the kitchen without a break in stride, icy wind rippling around him.

A grin spreads on Rhodes' face. That was what he wanted to hear. "I will do what I can. If he and I have to build trust on pledges, so be it. Mr Volker knows I will not tolerate him threatening... the members of this Freehold. If things go bad, you'll be the first to know." The tone is velvet smooth, but firm.

The Dread Lord's eyes widen slightly for a moment at the bottle, before his mask slips back up. "Tullibardine. That's quite a splurge. Hopefully I've shown you price is not always a reflection on quality." He chuckles. "I don't think I ever imagined enjoying something like that. This will be quite an evening!"

Rhodes starts opening the boxes of Thai food, setting his own bottle down and collecting a plate. "Let's enjoy the meal, shall we? And then we can we this fascinating collection." The Fairest waves a hand to the expensive bottle. "Please. It's your bottle. After you."

[Richard Price]

”Oh most definitely, sometimes it is the simplest things that can bring the greatest joy. BUT, I have not busted my ass for decades and making my money work for me so I can not ignore the price tag everyone once in a while.”

He then pushed the set of glasses forward on the table, not opening anything quite yet.

”And the bottle isn’t mine, it is very much yours - I just picked the prettiest one I could find so if you want to do the honors or you can save it for your own home. I won’t complain either way. Try and dodge this, and I will make sure it finds it way back to you.”

This was a courtesy that wouldn’t be left to collect dust on Rich’s shelf even if it meant a courier to Rhodes, or making sure he got Sera to sneak it into the house the two seemed to be sharing. Instead of a drink at this moment, rich piled a plate with a series of still warm Thai dishes, no longer steaming hot after the reprieve they had taken outside to grab a drink.

Once food was had, and if drinks were further indulged the Crimson King motioned for the Dread Lord to follow, they were heading upstairs to see the trophy room now.

”You a token hound much, or are you just neck deep in dreams? These curios are sometimes hard to understand really, and a lot of them really seem useless for everything but the purpose of nostalgia. Sadly I can’t promise you magic that has long since faded, but I can give you the rundown on these things.”

“Pardon my French but you get a lot of this shit when you are rolling through the hedge, and pulling things off scum that chose to wrong civil society. Sadly it is an itch I don’t think I will ever manage to buck, the hunt, the pursuit, the chase - maybe it is stitched into my fiber now, but if I didn’t get old I may still be slogging through the mud in the hedge and cracking traitors and cowards for a living. All assuming I didn’t get got, or swallowed up.”

He mused as he moved up the stairs.

[Rhodes]

Rhodes chuckles. "Oh, absolutely. Well, it seems a shame to put so much effort into evading such a gift." He slowly opens the bottle and smells the liquor, before pouring a generous measure in both glasses.

Food was shared, a most pleasant repast, and the Flowering follows the Ogre up the stairs.

"Tokens? I don't have an intrinsic knowledge, but if I find one I can uncover it's powers through study and concentration. Magical artifacts and Hedgespun, they all have an inherent magic binding them together, and I spend many months learning how to detect those properties. Dreams are more of a hobby, but one I pursue as adamantly as other facets of the occult."

He nods as Richard describes where he found his collection. "Yes, I gathered a few books from hobs in the Hedge. There are many peices of knowledge that can only be gained from that side."

The Dread Lord follows the Crimson King up to the trophy room.

[Richard Price]

”Tokens, if I was to study anything, would be my choice. Always been so neat to me. The amount of money I wasted in my youth chasing curiosities and trinkets was dumb. Pennies to me now, but they meant something back then. There was one Winter Witch who took full advantage simply to teach a lesson in disappointment. She laughed but meant well, my friends laughed and joked about how I was young and dumb.”

Up the stairs, and around the corner to a room with double doors. He turned and winked at the Dread Lord before he opened up to what may have been the biggest moment of excitement and maybe the biggest let down, it all came down to how one viewed nostalgia and the type of magic that the Lost wrapped themselves in. The large room had shelves of random items and curios, some in glass others laying there. One wall was covered in trophies on plaques that should have been beasts but were other weird objects.

Toy cars, bent bats, tiki masks, metal acorns, assortment of tools and weapons, like a dagger that grows hair. They have all served a purpose and crossed my path personally once their magic ran out. With graces of groups like the Leaden Mirror of LA I was able to keep these harmless items. It is my past, but it is all fond memories.”

Rich strode in through the room, laying fingers on a toy car on a shelf and moving it back and forth, before brushing past and looking at the wall at the large axe mounted on a plaque with the broken remnants of the axe head built beside it as best as it could be restored.

”I hope you get some amusement out of this.”

He offered with a chuckle, enjoying the flood of memories himself.

[Rhodes]

The Dread Lord nods along, and chuckles at the anecdote. "Stories like that, teaching a lesson to an ambitions young upstart, are a dime a dozen in the Leaden Mirror. We see them as lessons in patience and insight. One of the reasons my first mentor, a Fall Witch, showed my how to separate the wheat from the chaff."

As they step into the room, Rhodes stares around, feeling the glamour flow into his sight. His eyes, larger than a regular human's and so vivid green, flush a deep scarlet for several moments as he looks around the room.

2 successes

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2019-06-19 17:30:50		Rhodes rolls 7 to Warlock's Gaze: Wyrd+Occ+Autumn Bonus (10 Again)		4, 3, 8, 6, 5, 7, 10, 1		2 successes

"I hope you don't mind. But I can't resist when offered such a chance," Rhodes says, sipping the drink as blood-red eyes survey the room. "Just as all Courts have their focus, so does Fall develop the affinity for magics that we seek so fervently."

Warlock's Gaze can be found here. Basically Rhodes can tell if any of the items in here are still magical. Sort of a spot check for tokens, hedgespun and supernaturals.

[Rhodes]

Bump Strong King Richard Price