Zen and the Art of Clarity

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie gasped and put a hand to her chest in imitation of some pearl-clutching housewife, "No innocent? How dare you, sir! You besmirch our good character? We are but two naive young maidens, taken advantage of by a knave of a cake! I will most certainly tell Sera about this!"

She nodded as Rhodes talked about summers past, imagining what Circe's shooting range must have been like. Knowing Sonnie, she was likely picturing some sort of carnival game with water pistols being shot into the mouths of plastic clowns. "Well, please tell King Richard that if he doesn't have beer pong, he will be running the risk of a bad Yelp review. Winter lacked a snow cone machine, and I was not gentle about it."

[Rhodes]

The Dread Lord smirks in response - at this point, he is clearly enjoying himself. "My dear Sonja. I simply have the observation of precedent - or are you forgetting your little escapade at the Winter coronation? And while I may call you something, I suspect naive is not an adjective I would be able to use."

An eyebrow arches. "You seem to have very defined ideas of what other courts should have in their Coronation celebrations," he says, smirking. "And what, pray tell, should the Dread Lord of Autumn be considering to pander to the desires of one opinionated Spring capuchin?" His tone is glacially cool, watching Sonnie closely, and another ripple of cold wind twists out around him.

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie put on a show of giving a lot of effort into remembering the Winter Coronation. She crossed her arms under her chest and mock-pouted as she strained her brain to recall the details, "Escapade? Me? Are you sure? I remember Cole making a scene, but I was very well behaved." She was not at all convincing.

When asked about what Rhodes himself should have prepared for the Autumn Coronation, the 'Scrambler already had her answer. "Pumpkin spice lattes, duh."

Well, at least she didn't go straight to the obvious answer.

[Rhodes]

Rhodes' grin grows even wider. "Three words, Sonja. Circe. and. Mistletoe. I'm sure Queen Sasha hasn't forgotten. There were plenty of rooms you could have taken the opportunity to use."

The Fairest rolls his eyes. "Hardly a spine-chilling suggestion. Last year we had a meal, furnished with the fruits and beasts of the Hedge. Screaming pears, melons that bleed, six-legged fowl... People seemed very happy with it. We even managed to find a shadowy delicacy that Ingrid spent ages trying to eat, and she seemed absolutely thrilled. I've never seen her so happy."

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie gave it some more thought, but ultimately shook her head. "No, that doesn't sound like me. I do remember putting on an amazing musical number that everyone loved!" Was she joking, or was her memory that selective? Probably the former, but the latter was not impossible.

On the other hand, she was clearly curious about Rhodes' description of the last Autumnal celebration. "Wow, you found all those kinds of spooky goblin fruits? I guess fall really is the season for a bountiful harvest. I look forward to seeing what you do this year!" She smiled at the idea of Ingrid being so giddy with delight. "But, you will have the pumpkin spice lattes, though, right? I'm sure Sera can hook you up."

[Rhodes]

"Uh-huh. I do remember you opening the singing, but the other part seems to have slipped away from you. Selective memory is a dangerous sign of degradation, Sonja. Perhaps we should take a look around inside there." The Fairest points at her head. "Have a few strolls through Sonnie's dreams. Make sure you aren't losing your hold on reality." The smile Rhodes has is hungry and quite sinister.

The look on his face freezes for a split second. So do I. Who knows what the Leaden Mirror will look like in 4 months.

"Well, there were a lot more Autumns back then. But we all pitched in. It was the time to show off our resurgent Court." Rhodes sounds almost wistful. "I don't know about Pumpkin Spice Lattes. It's a fad, not a a scary thing. Unless the only scary thing is not having them, in which case, why should I?" He chuckles.

"I don't know about you, but now you mention it I could use a coffee. Coming?" He asks, gesturing over towards Edna's.

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie looked skeptical at the Fairest's suggestion. "I dunno. I stroll through my dreams all the time. Everything seems intact. Nothing unusual there. Say, you ever consider a mustache?" That was random.

"Pumpkin spice is still very popular, I'll have you know. I'm sure Sera will have it in stock come this fall. Now ugg boots, those were a fad!" Not that the Beast could ever have worn those things, with her monkey feet.

At the possibility of coffee, Sonnie stood up and collected her possessions, turning off the tai chi music at long last. "Sure! Coffee is a good way to start off breakfast! Don't you think? Do you have omelettes, too? Maybe some waffles?"

Yes, let's give the monkey caffeine. This will surely end well.

[Rhodes]

The smile holds. "Yes, well...That's the problem of looking from our own perspective. You certainly need a second opinion, and I'm expertly qualified... Wait, what? No.... why?"

Rhodes chuckles. "I know for a fact she will - largely because it sells very well. As for Ugg boots... I missed that entirely. What are they? Obviously a boot of some kind, but... what made them special?"

He starts heading off towards the old Haunted House. "Oh, absolutely. But in terms of food.... Well, I'll have to see. I genuinely don't know what I have in - I tend not to keep too much in stock as I spend so much time.. well. Not there. You may have to wait until the vendors open." Coffee? That was an essential. Food? The Dread Lord knew he was a terrible cook.

[Sonnie Wu]

"I dreamwalked with Titania not long ago... but she's... Titania." Sonnie was being diplomatic, obviously. She tilted her head and looked at Rhodes, "The right mustache can be very dignified on a man. Something to think about, I guess."

The Courser laughed as she followed Rhodes towards Edna's manor house. "Oh, Uggs? They're a style of sheepskin boots. Originated in Australia, I think? Ask Sera, she probably has a pair or two in that warehouse she calls a closet."

She hadn't expected Rhodes to have much in the way of breakfast foods, anyway, so she merely shrugged and nodded, "Cool, cool. I think there's a waffle truck in the area, anyway." She checked her twitter feed on her phone. Of course she followed food trucks on social media.

[Rhodes]

"Ah.... Yes, she is. She is definitely one of a kind." Rhodes says, equally diplomatically. "Wait... why are you looking at me that way? What did you see in this dream, Sonja?" He stops, turning to the monkey.

He chuckles. "If it's a fashion from the last 50 years, she's probably got an example or two of it somewhere. As you say, it's a warehouse in there."

The Flowering walks up the steps to the Haunted House and unlocks the door. It swings inwards, creaking ominously, making him smile. The place certainly had a sense of ambiance. "How do you know that? Are you following a food truck on your phone?" He shakes his head. "There's something wrong with you." The Dread Lord crosses the Threshold and heads for the kitchen.