PRP-Paranoia- Si

[DrDog]

The Lost feel themselves quite clearly lost as they process all that has happened in their hunt to rescue Frances. Things have not gone well, from a certain point of view, and the three have gathered together in a quiet place to discuss their plan going forward, and hopefully come up with a plan they can all say Si to.

[Titania]

"Very well, what was that about?", she says, drowning herself in the comforts of the sofa, her legs crossed at the ankles. Her tone that of an inquisitor who had just caught a dangerous heretic.
"Is there anything about your relationship with Frances that you're willing to share?", she frowns, "or it's just a matter of needing a course or two on how to behave with women and keep boundaries with people?", she sighs.
"Remarkable"

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie stood behind Titania's sofa, arms crossed over her chest, glaring at the Ogre and nodding in agreement with the Fairest.

"Yeah. Like, dafuq?"

[Ram]

Ram growled slightly, deep, rumbling and less heard than felt. He kept having to remind himself that the Springs weren’t the enemy.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to ask,” he answered the second question first “She’s my shift lead. Was my shift lead,” he rumbled correcting himself “Part of my crew. That sort of shi… stuff is important to me.” He took a steadying breath.

“I’m not sure why you two are here…,” he breathed again. He was trying to turn things around and attack them. Not the enemy he reminded himself, even if Titania was implying he was someone who beat women. Even if he couldn't fully ignore that's what it looked like. “I’m here because I care about Frances. Because I noticed she was having trouble.”

“And I can’t say I was comfortable snooping, checking her locker for gates, going to her other places of work.” Where was their discomfort with ‘boundaries’ then? “But the more I found out the more I was sure this wasn’t some bad boyfriend.”

“I might brush off the attitude change but talking to nothing, voices coming from nowhere, mysterious necklaces? Weren’t you?…,” Breath. Don't go on the attack “Then she quits and starts talking about us spying on her, through mirrors?! Even her voice fu… Even her voice changed.”

“She was cursed… IS cursed. She was leaving! I had to do something!”

[Titania]

"Of all the ways to manifest your worry, you choose assault. We're not on a battlefield, there are expectations of civility.", harsh words perhaps, but truthful nonetheless.
She pinches the bridge of her nose, at first she was almost ready to show him the error of his ways by summoning one of the Clauses, but decided - perhaps unwisely - against it at the last moment.
He should understand it by himself.

[Sonnie Wu]

"Well, assaulting her wasn't the answer, was it? You made it worse. Good job!" The Ogre received a thumbs up, sarcastic as it was. Still better than a middle finger.

She tilted her head at Ram, expression curious. Mysterious necklaces? Voice changes? Did she miss something? Sonnie shook her head, "Might have been nice if we, like, conferred on a plan of action about all that stuff. Now she's out there... probably calling the cops on your ass. And maybe on us as accessories. She could expose the whole freehold!"

The Beast was not pleased by any of that, as her expression now clearly showed. "Your friend is quickly moving from a friendly concern to a serious threat. So maybe we think up a solution here before we have to inform the Monarchs and they decide she needs to be silenced."

She let the insinuation hang.

[Ram]

“I didn’t hurt her. I wasn’t going to hurt her. I didn’t even touch her. And if had worked and the essence of the amulet hadn’t left, then you’d be telling me now what a good and clever boy I was for figuring it out,” he shot back at the accusation of assault and making it worse, seeking solace in rage against the sting of knowing that it certainly looked like it. That, in many ways, that had been the point. It was how intimidation worked. Be seen as threatening. And Ram happened to be fairly good at being physically threatening. No matter intent.

Distant gunshots echoed in answer to Titania saying they weren’t on a battlefield. Though the sound was muffled by rose petals and the smell of fruit. There was no way his mantle to exert itself against two such powerful Springs. And he knew any defense would be, well, defensive. And any accusation he hurled back in their direction would only exacerbate things.

Again, not the enemy. So, as much as he wanted to yell ‘what the hell were you doing?! Cause it looked like you weren’t doing a god damn thing!’, he held his tongue and only scowled, the fissures in his skin glowing red.

“You want to hear me say it? Fine! I messed up. Happy? Stupid Ram messed up!” The Ogre forced himself to breath through his nose, trying not to let his mind go down those paths.

“But,” he said “She was talking about us being dolls and monster, spying on her through mirrors, and Funderland hiding things before I did anything,” he said through gritted teeth. “And she’s not the threat. The curse she’s under; the mystery voice. That’s the threat.” He wasn’t going to let Frances be ‘silenced’ for something that wasn’t her fault.

He folded his arms over his barrel chest, took in a long breath of air and let it out slowly. He really needed an hour at the Summer hollow meditation area to calm down but for now he only had time for one breath.

“So what should we do?” He asked the two Springs. They didn’t like what he’d done. Might as well listen to how they wanted to approach the totally not a battlefield situation they were in.

[Titania]

Typical summer, violent, doesn't use his brain and overreacts.
"If we report this to the Courts she's good as dead", she states coldly, pushing her head back to look at the ceiling. "We need to get close to her so I can use one of my contracts. It will be a temporary solution but it will buy us enough time to figure what's going on"

[Sonnie Wu]

Sonnie took in a breath and let it out slowly. She hated being all serious like this. It wasn't fun. She also didn't like berating someone for their mistakes, but Ram's mistake put her own life at risk of exposure. She liked that even less.

"Okay, let's move forward, find some solutions." Talk of dolls and mirrors was weird. "Sounds like someone is messing with her, that's for sure. But why? Why screw around with one of the park security staff? Unless it's someone from outside the freehold. I dunno anyone here that looks like a doll."

The Beast gave it some thought, and as she did she, she recalled something, "Rings. I got an odd feeling from Frances. Something about a ring. Maybe that's what you were looking for, Ram?"

[Ram]

Ram gave a gravely sigh.

“How close do you need to be?” he asked. He didn’t give voice to some suggestions that immediately came to mind on how they could get close. They wanted to make a plan, they could make the plan. Then when it went to shit, they could see how it felt.

Damn it, he was still angry. He needed to direct it or he was just going to end up pissy. The curse and whatever was behind it. That’s where the wrath needed to go. That’s where he needed to channel it.

“Hurt morale? Use her as a spy? That’s assuming they aren’t insane and doing it for some reason that makes sense only to them.” One of the difficulties when dealing with Fairies (and even Changelings).

“But at this point, knowing it can move, the only way I can think to even try to track where it is now like a ring or a zipper would be to try to use the Kenning.”

“Which,” he nodded to Titania “Means getting close. to see her.”