House of Funderland

[Rhodes]

Funderland was a little worn, a little dated, and occassionally it was so easy to forget how unusual a place it was, especially to a new arrival.

Such were the thoughts of the Dread Lord of Sacramento as he sat and waited on a bench just inside the entrance. It certainly wouldn't have been his first choice to set down roots - something more formal or classy would have been in his mind - and yet the simplicity, the misdirection of the theme park appealed to one of the mind of the Leaden Mirror. Hiding in plain view, something he knew how to adapt to all too well.

Sera knew where he was, as was usual. The telephone call requesting a meeting had been brief, but learning from last time the Director sought out a place where they could talk a little more freely.

He, however, looked as out of place as he ever did. An immacuale black suite, red silk shirt and tie. A hedgespun coat of menacing thunderclouds covered the ensemble.

Only those touched by Arcadia could see the flourishing laurel of leaves thae encircled his head, growing straight from the scalp and from his wrists and ankles, just visible below the hem of the hleg of his pants. Scarlet flowers bloomed vividly at his wrists and temples. Eyes at least twice the size of a usual human's, and impossibly green, peered from a pale-skinned face with pointed elven ears. In places, the pale skin was breached by woody roots as if just emerging from the surface of soil. Around him, autumn leaves swirled in brown, red, orange, and gold twisting in a bitter wind- despite the summer sun in the evening. No normal human would notice.

He watched for his guest, Cassandra Reeding .

Introductory scene for @Shenanigans. Discussed for set up with Saber Sloth

[Cassandra Reeding]

Cassandra Reeding makes her way to her appointment with the Autumn King. There is a feeling of nervousness in her, but she knows that things can only go so poorly. Tonight, she is dressed in a simple, calf-lengthed red dress that fits to her small frame well. The deep red of the dress particularly complements the way her skin shimmers with an opalescent glow. Her scarlet hair is done in a simple braid to the side, giving her a more friendly appearance than her chilly mantle often suggests.

As she enters Funderland, she begins looking to find her way around. She panics a little at first, worried she'd get lost, but eventually she finds her way. She does eventually find her way, viewing a man with his flowering mien, waiting for someone. She approaches cautiously, but smiling. The closer she gets, one can begin to feel the way her mantle has almost a touch of warmth to it, as if the winter sun were shining as a cool breeze swirls by. "Hello there," Cassandra starts, hoping she is in the right place and speaking to the correct changeling.

[Rhodes]

The Dread Lord glances up, and gets to his feet. There is a small glance of heat as her mantle pushes through the swirling of his own. As Cassandra draws nearer to him, she begins to hear haunting whispers just out of earshot.

Emerald eyes rake over the shimmering skin of the woman, taking her in.

"Miss Reeding, I presume?" he asks, his voice easy and charming. "We spoke on the phone. I am Rhodes. I am the Director for our little establishment here. Step this way, please."

The Dread Lord begins leading her towards the offices of the theme park. "We have a few rooms here for private meetings. We'll settle any introductory matters, and deal with any questions you might have."

He steps into the office, leaving the door open for her. Inside there are several chairs, a table, and off to one side stands a large redish-blackish stone. It seems to be shifting gently of it's own volition.

[Cassandra Reeding]

Cassandra takes a moment to take in the force of his mantle. She hadn't truly met the Autumn Monarch of her last Freehold. His second, assuming the Autumn King of that Freehold actually existed, always ran things for him. Though the whispers of his mantle are off-putting, she seems to hold her own. She then gazes over him herself, her own emerald eyes trying to sense his mood.

"Yes, I am Cassandra. I'm glad that I made it to the correct place. I'm still getting used to the city. It's much different here than Baltimore," She smiles then, her shifting polychromatic colors fairly calm, "It is lovely to meet you, Rhodes."

She then moves to follow him into the meeting room he has directed them to. She takes in the room for a moment, seeming calculating and curious as she views the mysterious stone in the room. She pauses for a moment, as if trying to decide the proper social cue for sitting, whether she should wait or not. She shifts over away from the door and watches him carefully, "It is nice to see a Freehold that utilizes one space in particular for meetings. Where I came from, we would meet wherever the main meeting space of the High Court at the time was."

[Rhodes]

The Flowering's appearence gives little away, but on the outside he seems calm and in control.

"And you, my dear," Rhodes replies easily. Eyes glance as her skintones shifted.

Pretty little thing. Charming, certainly.

He loks out over the park, opening the door for her. "We have a lot of people pass through. Not everyone wants to set down roots, which I understand," the Dread Lord says a little absently as he follows her inside.

"Oh, we don't meet in this room for ceremonies. More a convenient space we have use of. Forgive my cautiousness, but I have a Freehold to protect. Now, first things," he says simple, heading for the stone. "There are inconsistencies in the Wyrd around this city that have cause no end of problems forming a Freehold Pledge. It refuses to hold, and as a Pledgesmith and Arcadian scolar I have spent many months trying to understand why - to little avail. But in short, it means we do not have a Freehold Pledge as is common, and had to turn to the Hedge itself for a useful work-around." He gestures over to the stone, and lays a hand upon it. "This is a Wyrdstone. By touching it, and providing a gift of glamour, it binds you to our freehold - in a purely recognisable sense. The Stone senses if you are a loyalist or enemy to the Freehold that mean us harm. Should that change, the stone informs us... emotionally. No requirements, no catches, no obligations, no tricks."

The Flowering turns and looks Cassandra in the eye. "Miss Reeding, I realise this is unusual, and that Pledges are the most common enchange of basic trust among our kind," he adds slowly. "If you need reassurance of my honesty in this regard- there are few that readily take the words of a Lord of Fear without some apprehension, for which I bear no grudge - I am more than happy to provide an Oath that mine assuade any reservations. This is simply our way of protecting ourselves - until such a time as a Pledge can be made to hold." He hadn't given up just yet.

Emerald eyes look at her, to the stone, then back to her carefully. "If you please." The tone was less a request, more an expectation.

By touching the stone and paying the point of Glamour, Cassandra will officially be a part of the Freehold!

That doesn't mean the scene has to end, of course, just that the bare minimum is done.

If you want to try and read Rhodes' emotional state at any time, you can always roll Wits+Empathy-2 (he has the Rigid Mask merit) to try and get through his veneer

[Cassandra Reeding]

"Oh, well, my old Freehold was oddly... informal. But, as a member of the Onyx Court, I understand and rather appreciate such cautiousness," Cassandra says, and while she looks to the stone she seems even more intrigued. As he speaks of the Freehold Pledge not holding, her lips part, perhaps in a sense of confusion or surprise, but it isn't entirely clear.

She looks back to this Wyrdstone, as he has called it. She cocks her head to the side some as she studies it with her eyes. As he continues to speak, that calculating look returns to her emerald eyes and she nods understandingly. Her colors seem to shift more as her brain tries to wrap around the concept of this stone. She gets it, she is intelligent, after all, however the concept is still odd.

She sighs a little, but smiles, "I am no stranger to Fear, afterall, our courts are not so different. At least, on the emotional side of things. We may have different tactics for how we do things, but I know that the Autumn Court is of the more logical and practical kind." Slowly, she moves her right hand to place it upon the stone. She seems a little apprehensive just before she touches it, as if perhaps worried about the feel of it. One never knows how these wyrd touched items will affect the physical, so it is natural.

She feels the sensation of the glamour moving between her and the stone and her mantle flairs in response, a small breeze picking up about her, but it settles. She picks her hand up from the Wyrdstone and moves her hand to inspect it, cocking her head to the side a little, "Interesting. Well, for as long as I reside in this Freehold, I will do my best to represent my Court and the Freehold well. If you ever have doubt of me, my previous Queen was Lady Rachel Frost of Baltimore, her successor soon, I'd imagine, would be Black-Eyed Susan. I was a Flowing Page for the Princess for a short time before I decided I needed a... change of pace." As she says that, there is a slight look of sadness in her emerald eyes.

"May we discuss the status of the Freehold some? There is much that I do not know and would like to make sure that I am aware of any particular customs." She seems the practical sort, one who is no stranger to politics.

Yay! All the excite! She definitely wants to get in the know on some things. And I will certainly consider rolling for things like that next time.

[Rhodes]

The Dread Lord nods. "Well, I like to maintain certain standards for myself. Several of our members do not keep the same formailties. But we are free to present as we wish. And isn't Freedom what we really cling to?"

He watches the colours shift as she thinks, looking intrigued. He inclined his head. "Why thank you. Even magic requires structure, and studying it even more so."

Rhodes watches passively as she touches the stone, and describes her previous residence. Feeling the familiarity bind them, he smiles, and the bitter winds twist around him with more spinning leaves. "I am not familair with them, but I am sure this will not be necessary. The Wyrdstone tells me what I need to know - that you are no servant of the Gentry, nor this freehold's enemy. That is enough for me, at least to start building some bridges."

He gestures to a chair, and moves to a counter. "Certainly we may. I am happy to answer what questions I can. Would you prefer an overview first of all? I find it makes things simpler and may cover some of your queries." The Autumn King begins moving cups around on the side. "Tea?" he asks, looking back to the other Fairest again.

[Cassandra Reeding]

Cassandra smiles a little, "I am glad of that then. I find it interesting that a stone such as this can transmit such information. I'd be curious to know more, but I know that certain secrets are likely to be kept as that."

She nods to him as he gestures her to sit in a chair at the table and she does so. As she sits, she takes a moment to brush a wisp of her scarlet hair behind her ear. A lock or two always seems to find its way into her face. She smiles politely and nods at his question, "Yes, tea would be lovely. I am actually quite the fan." She chuckles a little and then settles a bit. She watches as he moves about the counter preparing cups even as she speaks.

"An overview would be a good start. The only thing I am aware of is that there is no Winter Monarch in this Freehold. Unless something has changed?" She asks, and as she does there is a slight look of concern at that. Not overpoweringly so, but still slightly visible. For a Winter Courtier, she is more expressive than one would have assumed, but given her kith, it can't always be helped.

[Saber Sloth]

Remember to pay a Point of Glamour you need to use the Power Icons

[Rhodes]

The Autumn King smiles, but it's a haunting, sinister smile. "Perhaps later. The Wyrdstone it... as twisting as the Wyrd itself."

He inclines his head slightly. "There are few things so simply pleasent. I have had a lot of experience these last two years trying more unusual flavours."

He sets the kettle going and moves things around on a simple tray. An eyebrow arches, and his wide eyes twinkle a little. "You are well-informed. Our previous Winter Queen left last Autumn. I will not hide from you that there have been some disruptions since, both mortal and supernatural, without a complete cycle of seasonal monarchs. It is such that the Monarchs remaining elevated me to the position of Director. A position mostly ceremonial in nature, but allows for us to pass over absent seats. That, and introductions such as this," he gestures to Cassandra, "Are all that it requires. Otherwise we follow Seasonal rule as is common."

Hot water is poured into a pot.

"Since that time we have had a couple of arrivals to the Onyx Court join us. I can arrange for introductions if you wish. By accident or by Wyrd, a large proportion of the Freehold are of our own Seeming. We celebrate each Equinox to pass the seasons as a coronation of the rising Monarch - fortunately we we are all on excellen terms with each other, and the cycle remains in balance." He pauses, carrying the tray to the table. "Each Court possesses a small portion of the park over which it has a complete claim. The next Coronation will be for myself, so if you arrive at the equinox at Ednas - the Haunted House. A tad cliche, I know, but it is more of a tradition. It has a local history."

The Dread Lord's mantle rustles with cold wind and more whispers. "Otherwise... we are small. I have seen Motleys that come close to our size. It helps us keep a low profile."

The Dread Lord sits, and watches the attractive woman carefully. "Do you have any questions?"