Midnight meetings at the Witch house

[Kray]

Well the moth lady with the strikingly off putting eyes was eating, which was good, the other side of hospitality did after all fall at the guests feet. Her question might have been in jest but the ogre only has the one nasty smile, it is showing but if that meant he found it humorous or not was harder to tell. "Oh. That is a matter of perspective." Naturally it would be but those words are rarely soothing. "Uh. Edna's you see has a history older then funderland." Looking once more of towards the boarding house. "Ah. But when I arrived it was homed there, fake cobwebs, the ashen court forced to rely on jump cares as children ran up squealing in excitement or begged there parents to go around again." His head shakes in quite apparent disgust. "Ah. It was a poor joke." And he is not smiling now. "Hm. So I came up with a plan, the king at the time approved shortly before he left leaving the work to me." Which he was fine with, hard labor had never been something he shied away from. "Ha. At the start of this year, after working on it for two, I broke Edna's chains and got the house moved here, it's a lot more fitting don't you think?" Swinging his great head to once again hold the wizened in his gaze. "Oh. And now, now I work to tap into that history and wake Edna's up from it's slumber." So would that classify as being up to no good? To strengthen the court of fear. "Ah. And when I do, when I do the city itself will remember what fear is." This was no parlour trick or small ambition the ashen king had great and far reaching plans.

But those were in the far flung future, tonight was for the here and now. "Oh. An artist is it, then it might have been Sophia I heard the name from, just the other month she was telling about about the art students she sponsors and some event she is holding for them. She knows a lot more about art then me." The queen of Sacramento's underworld had made that quite apparent as they spoke of art and chess and ways to do business. "Ah. Right I see." The delicate topic of Arcadia and durance now hovered about the conversation. "Oh. At least? Amy we can do magic." And a quite awe fills his deep voice a sense of wonder. "Oh. Amy we can do so much more then might as well or at least, we paid the price for what we have it's not a matter of might as well it is our right to use it." Having already spoken the name of one a prominent member of Sacramento art scene he could not disagree with the city having some lure to the artistically inclined.

His teeth prevented the classic slurping motion one might employ with noodle soup so instead it something more of a raise the bowl and shovel it into his maw motion swallowing quick enough to then refill and swallow again until the entire bowl has been depleted. Wiping his jaw on his great grey forearm to catch most of the broth that has splashed over his lower face. "Uh. Well why not. I can provide you a roof and plenty of food every day. Safety or as close to living under the same roof as a cannibal can get to it." There was that of course, the ogres cursed temperament mixed with cannibalistic impulses was surely a dangerous recipe. "Uh. You can paint some pictures to hang on my walls. That is of course if you can paint pictures to fit Edna's, ones that capture the tone and air. Ones that enhance what the place is, I won't hang just anything." The weight and importance he placed on the building seems to suggest he would not accept just any old painting. But does seem quite willing to build a pledge around the offer.

[Amy]

The moth sipped her soup slowly and evenly, as the Autumn King gave her a history lesson and revealed some bits of his plan all in one. The way he spoke of the boarding house made it sound more like a person than mere architecture.

“You had the whole house moved?” Her large eyes grew wider still at the thought. Did she understand that right? “That sounds like a serious investment!” Beyond that, she pondered for a moment what ‘remembering fear’ might entail. She turned her head slowly to look back at the boarding house, eerily lit as it was by the fire where they sat. “Is she haunted?” A pause, and a turn back towards the king, “Are you going to make her haunted?” Her interest had truly been piqued, now.

That someone in the city might have been talking about her was thrilling, but also a little frightening. The need to keep a perpetual low profile contrasted her inherent desire for success, for recognition. If she didn’t make it big, what was the point of all her suffering in Arcadia?

“Sophia sounds like someone I should get to know someday, then.” Her antennae bobbed again as she nodded to herself. Then came words of hope and potential. The lithe Wizened didn’t disagree, in fact, interest in the occult is what drew her to the Autumn Court in the first place. But, it was easy to say that sitting there as King. Someone who had established himself, made a name for himself. She furrowed her brow slightly. “You’re right.” She admitted, “But I’ve got to focus on the basics before I can dive into wonderland.” she let out a sigh. “I feel like a failure to launch.. in several ways. But that’s why I’m here, new beginnings and all that.”

Painting was her purpose, she had said it before, but she didn’t really expect the Ogre to take her up on the offer. She looked into his gnarled countenance for a moment, bemused.

“Don’t underestimate me, your majesty. I might not look it, but I have earned my way into this court. My works.. they really let me communicate my experiences and my fears in ways that I can’t seem to with words. You won’t be disappointed.” It was unlikely anyone could truly capture the horror and wonder, the awe and terrifying beauty of Arcadia, at least no one who was ever human, but she could get pretty darn close.

[Kray]

With his soup polished off the cheese and vegetable pie is next on the menu and the giant scoops, by hand, a sizable portion onto his own plate. He might be a cannibal but it was seem his hunger stretches far and wide across the culinary board. The reaction Amy gives to his efforts brings the nasty toothy smile back once again. "Ha. Yes the entire building, every plank, every brick, every tile. I did some reworking to of course. The basement had be dug out and boarded over with the original boards. The en-suites in the rooms for VIPs had to be installed. Few other bits and pieces." He had a vision, a grand vision and the effort was no barrier to that. "Hm. It was what was needed so I did it." No grips no worries it would be beyond him just the hard work that had lead to success. "Ha. And of course every change had to keep in tune with Edna's and some places like the kitchen, they just had to stay exactly as they have always been." Down to Anatole's bread maker. "Uh. Edna's has a reputation foe being haunted." Great shoulders shrug almost playfully. "Hm. Now if that's true or I plan to make it so well were is the fun in telling you now?" No there was something more interesting to be done. "Hm. You know I plan to use the places history so why not find out what that is and see if you can work out what I plan?" How much more rewarding that would be.

A large forkful of pie, melted cheese stretching between crust and some green vegetables finds its way to his maw and is swiftly devoured and swallowed. "Uh. It might have been her, I do not precisely recall but Sophia De Luca is one of the most powerful humans in the city, and a force to be reckoned with even beyond it if she is to believed." The Italian claimed over seas endeavors but those he knew nothing of himself. "Hm. So her patronage could do you well, but no deal comes free or without strings. We know that better then most." Deals and oaths were his bread and butter but all lost knew enough to be careful when making such deals. "Oh. Now there is some wisdom no doubt about it." Nodding slowly, his own success had followed the same ideal. "Hm. Got to build up your foundations brick by brick so they don't fall away from under you." Another mouthful of pie is consumed before he finishes. "Uh. But using magic helps with that to, you could say magic is my foundation." A glint in the flinty pupils of bulbous yellow eyes makes it apparent if it were not already so the giant ogre has refrained from saying something and he found that amusing in and of itself. "Oh. And yes again you've to it right. What we have is a second chance, a opportunity to start a new if we take it. With the power to help us decide what we will be." And the city of Sacramento held plenty of opportunity to those patient enough to grasp it.

When Amy shows she has some spine to her the Ashen king leans back in his chair, the seat itself offering some complaints on the motion, and laughs deep and darkly. "Ha. Oh. That's good, that's very good." It would not do to have any member of the court to meek, as a guise it worked but they were the ones who worked to master their fears, fear itself and that did require a certain mettle. "Ha. Well Now you have me more then interested." If she could in some way capture what she claimed well The awe and wonder of Arcadia did play havoc in the heads in many a member of the ash, the tinge of longing. "Huh. So If the tasks sound agreeable to you shall we say a season for the duration? That gives you three month to paint something and by then you will be officially bound into the free hold." Had the ogre not just said moments ago they did not have a freehold oath here?

[Amy]

“Alright, I like a good history lesson as much as the next person. I’ll see what I can dig up.” She couldn’t spend all her time inside painting, not if she wanted to avoid going stir crazy at least. Why not learn a little about the center of the Autumn Court here in Sacramento? There was still plenty of soup in her bowl as she continued to sip away at the broth.

The Artist tucked away the name, and the warning, for later. No sense barking up that particular tree until she had a chance to build that foundation Kray spoke of. So far, from her experience, magic tended to make things more complicated, not easier. Still, she was truly drawn to it like fire.

“Second, third.. fourth..” she mumbled, “However many chances it takes I’ll get there eventually, I hope.”

But before that, she had to secure this arrangement with the Autumn Monarch. Accommodation in exchange for doing what she did best, and a whole season to do it? It sounded fair to her, and she didn’t take long to consider. The black hole that was her gaze met Kray’s, and she nodded her consent.

“We have an accord, my King.” If she caught the bit about being bound to the freehold, she didn’t acknowledge it. The Wizened girl didn’t intend to stay under the King’s roof forever, but one season was a valuable opportunity to set down her roots. Hopefully things would continue to go her way. "You'll see, I'll paint Edna's my best work yet."

[Kray]

So not afraid of having to put a bit effort in either, his views of the dark eyed wizened was going up. "Hm. Good good that's what I like to hear. I my old may man used to say Autumn was the working man season, and I agree with that." Not that his father could have ever known how important the season would become to the giant but it was of handful of sayings he had manage to hold onto.

The conversation seeming to lull slightly the ogre reaches for the bottle of brandy and snaps the top of leaving a sharp and dangerous stump of the glass neck. The ease with which he broke it clearly shows his bulk is a lot more then just excess flesh makes up his form. "Uh. Would you like a drink?" Offering the bottle across first and foremost. "Hm. We are never guaranteed another chance Amy worth keeping that in mind. Don't squander what is front of you." Planning for more was fine and well but he had been burnt the first time and was going to make something of his second.

As her unblinking black gaze met his bulbous predatory one it becomes apparent it is very unlikely he would ever win a staring contest with the moth girl. Knowing whoever sat across from you had to blink first must be quiet neat. "Huh. Well that's good, shall we say a curse for the sanction then? No reason to make it more complex then that as I see it." He could be much more creative he had mastered the art of pledge crafting like few others but that also meant knowing when to keep it simple. And he did tend to given other lost, particularly those of the ash an easier time of his tricky wordings.

[Amy]

The Wizened wondered to herself just what kind of person the Autumn King’s father must have been. Though there didn’t seem to be any automatic correlation between who a person was before becoming a changeling and what mien they donned when returned, it amused her to think that Kray’s father must have somehow been even bigger than he was. Probably didn’t have quite as large an appetite, though.

“If Edna’s reputation is anything like what you make it out to be, it shouldn’t be too hard to dig up some good stories about it.”

She eyed the broken bottle carefully as the large ogre offered it to her, its shattered form reflecting quite clearly in her large eyes.

“Ah.. no, thank you, King Kray.” she hesitated just a moment before declining, “Though, some water or something would be nice, if you have it.” An alternative was offered so she didn’t seem ungrateful. Ever since her return from the other side she clung to her sobriety. When every shred of her mental clarity was in question most days, she didn’t dare risk breaking it down further. Even if that refusal went against the king’s timely advice.

And it was only prudent to have good judgement when making deals. Looking away briefly, the Artist considered the terms. There was every confidence within her she could finish a canvas worthy of the Ashen court within the time allotted, but still, it was only natural to pause at the potential consequences. Especially considering that a season was no small amount of time to bear the burden of a curse.

“Sounds fair, but let’s talk specifics, did you have something in mind?”

[Kray]

Opening his terrible jaw wide, bearing the many terrible stony teeth as he does the entire scooping of pie disappears into the gristlegrinders maw. The cheese and vegetable mess gets chewed up. It last no longer then anything else had ha swiftly follows the same path down his gullet. "Hm. Oh I do not doubt you'll find some very interesting things." The Witch house had quite the storied history both mortal and faerie. "Huh. You know what I'll give you a prize if you can find out the lost side of the history." With so few in the freehold that had been around for long enough to even have a chance of knowing it that might prove more of a challenge.

And it would seem a chink in his hospitality had been found. "Ah. Um. No I didn't set anything else out." That could be an issue. "Uh. Water is easy enough, I'll need to excuse myself briefly though." The offered bottle with drawn, and held up and over his own mouth to pour a measure in, it seems that his own thirst was still fair game to be quenched.

Placing the bottle back upon the table he considers briefly. "Uh. So if we call the tasks Lesser and the duration medial we would need a sanction, the curse to be medial to balance things out. That also leaves room for a minor boon as well." Which to him seems all well and fine but his task would be a lot easier to fulfill. "Hm. If you want something more concrete we can change a curse to a flaw and establish just what it will be if that makes things more palatable?" Either way worked for the ashen king, this pledge was being offered out of interest, his own preferences for pledges and as a way to get a better feel for his new courtier.

[Amy]

This changeling’s capacity for eating was truly awe inspiring. Well, capacity and capability. Of course, it wasn’t lost on the moth girl that such an appetite was likely a constant challenge to satiate. Or perhaps the man ate for sport? She couldn’t know for sure, and it seemed rude to ask, so she just considered it with amusement.

“You already had my interest, but if you’re going to add a prize, how could I decline?” she tapped her chin thoughtfully. Certainly the King’s idea of a reward wasn’t some dollar prize from a capsule machine. Where best to start, though? That was the real question, she thought, while glancing up a the aged building once more.

“Oh, um, you don’t need to do that. If you don’t have anything prepared it's okay.” She waved her arms in front of her, slightly embarrassed at the suggestion of an imposition. Internally she knew she was already here asking for much more than a one time talk over dinner. Part of her had a feeling the man might insist.

Pledgecrafting wasn’t exactly her speciality, but she understood the basics. Still, she paused for a moment to think on Kray’s explanations.

“The initial suggestion of the curse is palatable enough.” she replied, mirroring his word choice. “I want you to know I take my vows seriously, after all.” It wouldn’t do to appear uncommitted in front of the lord of her court.

[Kray]

With his belly now, well not fully that never seemed to quite happen but certainly fuller the ashen king leans back in equally large chair licking his fingers of some troublesome cheese strands, and the hungry look in his eye is lessened. It never went away not entirely but having plenty to eat helped curb the craving just enough to lessen the risk of a cannibalistic course being added to the menu tonight. "Hm. You work hard and it pays off, nothing is free I know both parts all to well." And the lost worked on the deals and agreements, the good reputation of their word, this was a smaller way of building that. "Ah. I don't like being in debt to anyone for anything so you do well by me, and I reward the effort simple as that." Simple was no way to describe the ogre, not to those who knew better, but there was simple wisdom he employed regularly.

The moth lady with the unblinking black eyes might be insisting but there was a proper way to do things by this ogre's reckoning and he does indeed lurch to his feet, with more grace then one of his size might be inclined to have, which is to say about as much as an average person but for one of his obesity it might still come as a surprise. "Ah. No No just a few moments." The light of his mantle means he can be seen heading off to the nearby building and entering via back door where he emerges about two minutes later with a pitcher of water in one great hand and a bottle of lemonade in the other. "Uh. Apologies about that I do forget not everything drinks." Both are placed on the table. Only then taking his seat again.

Which brings him back to pledge crafting, something he does take both great pride and a measure of enjoyment from. "Huh. Well then curses it is, that just leaves the boons. What are you thinking you'd like from this?" Words were good as any other until of course it had been proven how she handled her paths. "Ha. Well I 'm extending trust enough to make one with you, and we both know what results if you words do turn out to be false." Trust as much as personal want, it felt more like a freehold should in someways to make pledge with new arrivals. Risky of course but that was part and parcel of it.