A Little Souvenir From The Old Hometown

[Liam Gelt]

Liam's apartment was cramped on the best of days, given his size. It was a modest affair with just enough space for a wanderlusty Giant to have a bed at the end of the night and a roof over his head. Oh, and a walk-in closet that opened into the Hedge. That had taken a bit of work, but it was definitely worth it. Funny how, in spite of all the pain caused by stepping out of his own fragile reality, Liam still craved the otherworldly air of the Hedge.

For today though, Liam had something he'd never expected to have in his own little corner of the world: company. And royal company at that. He chose to dress comfortably, since this wasn't a Coronation. But there was still a fresh pot of coffee, some extra water bottles, and hot water for tea. He wouldn't miss an opportunity to show Spring hospitality to the Autumn and Winter Sovereigns. He waits in the living room for his guests to arrive.

Rhodes ; James Turner

[Rhodes]

The Dread Lord arrived, besuited as always, at he address as planned.

It was a modest place, by any standards. Liam was one of the people in the freehold he knew least, but hoped to change this at least a little.

He rapped loudly on the door, keen to see what was inside.

[Liam Gelt]

Just when Liam was beginning to wonder if he'd given his guests the wrong date or address, there's a quick yet firm knock at the door. That must be them!

Taking just a moment to make sure his breath was okay, Liam opens the door to find the Dread Lord of Sacramento. "Hello, Rhodes! Good to see you. Please, come in." He steps aside so that Rhodes can enter. "Can I get you anything? I've got water, coffee, hot tea..." He was about to mention he had some of the alcoholic beverages from the Summer Coronation, but he didn't want to overwhelm his guest with options. That was the thing with royals: if they wanted something, they let you know. "I'm glad you agreed to meet me here. I've been really excited to hear what you have to say about the Archive." He'd hoped to give Sera a tour at some point, but if the two of them were seeing each other than maybe it was just a matter of time?

[Rhodes]

The Dread Lord speads a well-practiced smile as the door opens. "Liam. Thank you for inviting me to your home. Water would be excellent."

He steps over the threshold, looking around the room at the decor. He waits until the door closes before continuing, his blustery mantle more conspicuous by it's absensce.

"Well, it was a fascinating tale. I have heard of animate records before, but rarely the chance to see one in the flesh. It was an opportunity I could not let slip. Also, I know relatively little about yourself, and like being able to call on the right people for the right job in the Freehold." He looks around. "Not too early I hope?"

[Liam Gelt]

"Happy to oblige!" Liam crosses into the kitchen, ducking just a tad, and pulls out a bottled water from the fridge. Freshly chilled, kind of like you. He let the pun linger in his mind, but decided against bugging his guest. "Here you go." He hands the bottle to Rhodes, honestly flattered by the Monarch's desire to get to know someone outside of his own Court. "Well, thanks. I've honestly been trying to get to know folks around here as well. I actually got the idea to bartend at the Summer Coronation from Anatole. He seems like a pretty fun guy; very boisterous." ​Almost Ogreish in a way. "But no, not too early. I'm sure James should be on his way." He certainly didn't want to start the Hollow tour before the Winter Sovereign showed up. "But, in the meantime, what did you want to know about me?" He motions Rhodes to a comfortable armchair, perhaps a bit big for the Fairest, in case he wanted a seat.

[Rhodes]

With the ogre facing away Rhodes permits himself a small roll of the eyes. Cheeriness had never been a trait assigned to him. Something about it grated just a little. Still, his political mask was back up when the Ogre turned back around.

"Most kind." He takes the bottle and the chair, taking note of how his host described Anatole. It seemed the dwarf had several sides to him.

"Anatole has provided great service to the freehold," Rhodes said with an easy smile, "And I do not just say as Lord of his Court. As Director I have always kept a very light approach, but I still like to know where the talents of our members lie should we need to call on particular expertise, yet of our latest arrivals I know little. I am a skilled Oneiromancer and practiced Occultist, as one expects from Autumn. Lady Circe has her criminal ties and talents of destruction. We have healers, fighters, con-men, musicians... but we live a dangerous life, one fraught with risk. A Gentry threatened the city a year ago and a fallen Queen, Ann, still has her tendrils into" MY "...our city. And it pays to know who to call on for the right task when things arise."

He pauses, opening the bottle and drinking. Under the mask Rhodes feels the tingle in his leaves. "So! Besides studying under Mr Boston, what talents do you brink to the table? and moreover, your interests?"

[Liam Gelt]

Liam's eyebrows go up at Rhodes' glowing assessment of the Dwarf. I wonder what stories he could tell? What adventures he'd lived? Of the new arrivals. "Yeah, there's me and...I think there's just Riley." There had been a few new faces he remembered from Spring Coronation; Roshon, Slikana, but he hadn't seen them since. "Not quite sure what she's about, though she seems kind of shy."
He's not too surprised at Rhodes being an Occultist, he was too spooky not to be. "One...Oni...that's Dream magic, right? Sorry, I'm not too well-versed in magic." He scratches his neck sheepishly. With all the crazy stuff happening around the Lost, maybe it wouldn't hurt to find a tutor of some kind. Titania/Eleanor maybe?

1 success

Date	Action	Roll	Result
2021-07-26 14:47:29	Liam Gelt rolls 3 to Reading the Pause (10 Again)	7, 1, 8	1 success

Rhodes' hesitation is minuscule, maybe even accidental. But the Giant sees something in it, something of himself. A desire to keep what was his and keep it safe and secure from the world. And anyone who would hurt it. All this talk of Dragons and Queens sobers Liam, and he walks back over to the kitchen to being steeping some tea. "Sera mentioned the Dragon." Visions of fire and burning and screams flash before his Ogreish mind's eye before he blinks them away. He returns with a steaming cup of cinnamon apple tea, sipping both to hydrate and calm his nerves. "Well, aside from bartending I'm of course a Giant. I'm big, strong, and can get bigger and stronger. I've got some magic too, though not as impressive as yours, I wager." He's working on that. "Mostly flora and weather and stuff. Interests...?" Liam taps his cup gently, as if afraid he'll shatter it. "Well, I like being outdoors, which I guess is where a lot of my magic comes from. I just like seeing what's there to see. But mostly I like being around people. Learning their stories. Maybe making people smile in the moment. We carry so much pain, and there's just so few ways to find joy knowing what's out there..." Liam pauses, afraid he's gone too "deep" for the morose Autumn. "But yeah, that's me in a nutshell. Just your friendly neighborhood Jolly Giant!"

[Rhodes]

"R'lyeh. Ah, yes. Fascinating young woman. A Chthonic Reference. Do you know your Lovecraft?" Rhodes corrected lightly. "Odious man, historically very much of his time, but still his influence on the genre of Horror is unmistakable. I had never found one of us so steeped in his lore before as to have a direct name."

"Oneiromnacy? Yes," he smiles easily. "That's quite alright. I run an instructional class form time to time. It's an innate talent all changelings possess, and can be highly useful as a tool to support or expose. As the Autumn King I see it my position to not only store our knowledge of Arcadia but also to inform and educate.... where necessary." The pause was atmospheric.

A small nod. "Fairweather? Yes.... Dead before the time of most here. An old evil... I am more concerned with those of the present. Ann... any remnants of the Huntsman we find."

There is a dark chuckle at the compliment. "Perhaps. Perhaps not." And there it was. What makes a courtier a courtier is all to simple for most, even himself. The Autumn spreads his hands. "Yes... that certainly makes you a Spring. Joy can indeed be around any corner." There was a sparkle to his eyes. They looks strange being back to the normal size of human proportions after being usually so large.

The Dread Lord pulled back a sleeve to check his watch. James Turner should have been there by now.

I have no issue with trying to read things with dice, but Rhodes' Rigid mask applies a -2 to rolls to try and read him, for the future. Wasn't sure if you counted it in the roll

[James Turner]

It was almost if by fate or circumstance that as Rhodes was checking on his watch there was another knock on the door. He was late, he was really late and he hated being late. This was the trouble he ran into with taking public transportation everywhere when the unexpected happened he was usually stuck for awhile.


Liam had been polite enough to invite him and he was late, he was internally beating himself up as he was fixing his state of dress straightening out his clothes. He was dressed for work later, black slacks, white button up and a long skinny black tie. A new addition was the backpack he normally wore to the hedge, a simple black affair but it was weighed down with books. He just couldn't do e-books, it wasn't the same.


"I'm so sorry I'm late. I didn't mean to keep everyone waiting."

Missed the first tag, sorry guys!

[Liam Gelt]

Liam hears that second knock, and whatever introspection he'd had was shaken away by the ever-present giddiness of hospitality. "Aha! That must be James!" He narrowly avoids plowing over Rhodes and opens the door to greet the Winter Sovereign. "Come on in! No worries, you're just fashionably not-on-time." He certainly didn't want to make his guest uncomfortable. ​"Can I get you water? Tea? Coffee? Anything to drink?" Liam gets James his drink of choice after a brief moment, then crosses through the living room to a closet door, sitting next to which is bin with several sacks of jerky. He picks up one of the jerky snacks, then takes a moment to run a wide hand over the doorframe. Just a bit of magic seems to pulse through the Giant's fingers as the door shimmers briefly, then Liam places a hand on the doorknob. "So, are we ready to get this field trip on the road?"