Quick and the Maze

Jul 24th, 2017 09:01 PM

Having the water globes sent to the park was an excellent idea. At least for now, they were less likely to be broken in the Maze than they were at the Note. Sasha didn't want them sent to her apartment either, too easy to find her. At least here, the delivery was safe.

In a cool grey summer dress, the Dancer had a couple of the globes upon her desk. One from Venice that she purchased at an antique shop, the other from Prague.

The Dancer had some music on, and because of who she was, her body moved with the music whether she was paying attention or not.

**Quick** · Jul 25th, 2017 04:04 PM

Quick had never really explored Winter's corner of Funderland before. Truth be told, he hadn't cared to. But now, making Sacramento a permanent home seems more and more likely. It only makes sense to experience the park's wonders in person. Wearing a grey v-neck shirt and a pair of skinny jeans, Quick - or rather the James he used to be - makes his way to the maze.

He stops just short of the entrance, wondering to himself if he'd actually have a hard time finding Winter's Queen inside. It's called a maze, after all. He finds his way to the seating area a looks around, unsure of what to do next. Great. Patience isn't something his little trip over There has granted him. Quite the opposite. This is going to suck.

"Hello?" he calls out, loudly enough to hopefully be heard. Then, to himself "Crazy. Crazy people in room of mirrors." He shakes his head to himself. "How am I supposed to..." The Levinquick frowns. This place is frustrating. Probably his own fault, too. Maybe if he'd bothered to ask someone to escort him in to... whatever this Freehold's Onyx Court calls a throne. Or gathering place? Maybe it's some weird pocket in the Hedge that only the local Winters know how to find. He blinks a few times.

"Hello?" he calls out again. The urge to just bolt into the maze proper and try to find Sasha enters his mind. He quickly squashes the idea. Just pick some corridor and start stumbling around? He'd end up breaking something in frustration. Or seeing something he'd probably not want to see.

Jul 27th, 2017 03:50 PM

The Fairest was a little confused as to how someone managed to sneak by her. Her back may have been turned for a moment or two, but the Dancer usually kept an eye on the door whilst by the desk.

Sasha called out. "I'm at the front desk. Retrace your steps you aren't that far."

Moving the boxes to the side, the Fairest awaits for whoever it is to return to the front.

ooc

**Quick** · Jul 27th, 2017 05:04 PM

Quick turns, somewhat taken aback that he'd completely missed her on his way in. He'd expected her to have some sort of private office where others couldn't reach her. Wasn't that some sort of Winter thing? Secrecy? Even more frustrated than before - mostly at himself - he turns to greet the Onyx Sovereign. Looking just a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, hey. Was wondering where that music was coming from." Unable to escape the awkwardness he feels, he clears his throat and changes the subject.

"Friend said I should talk to you. Ingrid. The one who smells like plums." he says, smiling. He's sure she doesn't need reminding. He just really likes plums. He takes a moment to appraise the reigning Winter Monarch. She really does have it going for her. Those purple eyes. A face that says 'come talk to me'. He's relieved to see one of his kind that doesn't look like a freak or monster.

As he finishes his appraisal, he notices the two globes on her desk. "What's with the globes?" he asks, blinking a few times.

OOC

Jul 30th, 2017 05:50 PM

The Fairest chuckled softly and turned down the music. She'd moved around the desk so as not to put a barrier between herself and Quick.

"Quick, right?" She smiled and motioned to one of the chairs. "Ingrid is lovely. Different too, which is what I like about her." Which wasn't a lie, despite being a Fairest, diversity was important in everyone including Changelings. It was perhaps their kind that was more accepting of it than most. Unless they were trapped in their heads that they were better than others, a direct product of their Keepers.

She didn't realize they would be that big of a deal and reciprocated with a surprised look. "The globes are just something I collected in my travels. I was talking to her and Circe about them and finally decided to pull them out of storage." Shrugging softly, as if it weren't a big deal. The more she thought about it, it was.

Moving to take a seat that would be opposite of the Elemental, she sat plainly and relaxed more than usual. "So why did Ingrid say you should speak to me?" The Dancer said with a curious grin.

**Quick** · Jul 30th, 2017 06:37 PM

"She is. Sort of intense." Quick agrees. Truth be told, she seemed a little unsettled. Manic, even. Though this isn't uncommon among their kind, its still slightly unnerving.

Quick shrugs. "If you say so. Thought maybe it was a Winter thing." Because snow globes? He'd ask about it later. She doesn't seem to put much stock in them.

"What was it? 'I've got Winter in spades'? Ingrid's words." he says, clearly not convinced. "Never really gave it much thought. Haven't had the chance." The Levinquick bites his lip. "But I've been here a while. Starting to." He blinks a few times. "Give it thought, that is."

Aug 1st, 2017 08:07 PM

Sasha snickered. "Well, I have met far more intense than she. Ingrid's quirky. I like it. It works for her and it's not completely out of left field. Enough to be noticed by humans, that is." There were a few Changeling's she'd met in the past that easily stirred the curiosity of normal society.

"Hmm, not necessarily a Winter thing. They are part of my travels. Some people collect key-chains, some other bobbles. I just happen to like my bobbles with an overall theme." The Fairest grinned proudly as she walked over to the desk to pick one up. Shaking it, she held it in the air perfectly steady as the flaky bits fell around.

The Dancer hadn't heard the term before. It was something new. "Hmm, must be a cliche I'm not too familiar with."

"So you're in the process of choosing a Season?" Holding the globe still while the snow fell around. "It's not an easy task. Sometimes it chooses you."

The Fairest put the globe back down on the desk. She casually leaned on it with her behind. "Is there a particular type of Glamour that draws you in?"

**Quick** · Aug 3rd, 2017 06:14 PM

Quick nods in agreement. "Yeah. Quirky. But only just so. And the way she dresses?" He leaves the thought unfinished, shaking his head. Half the time he can't decide if her outfits are impressive or... you know, quirky. Like trends from another time or place.

His head tips lightly to one side, watching the snowy bits twist around in the globe. His face takes on a thoughtful look. "Traveled much, then?" Watching the scene within is certainly soothing, though he can't imagine where they're from. He blinks a few times and focuses on the Fairest again.

"Cards, probably. You know... Spades, Hearts, all that. Heard it used to mean 'a lot'. Can't guess why." Gambling is a good way to pass the time between cities - especially when the game is rigged - but he wouldn't call himself a card shark.

"Been thinking about it." he says nonchalantly. When she comes out with what can only be the 'do you like my kind of glamour', he avoids her eyes. "Can't say. Sampled the menu a bit. Sorrow? Not very often." He shrugs as if dismissing the thought. "Got my own worries. Why steep in someone else's?"

Aug 4th, 2017 11:34 AM

"Indeed, I was in a traveling performance troupe for quite some time." But there were more things the Levinquick was saying that sparked her attention. "Hmm, I may have to ask someone about that, he is more familiar with gambling than I am." The Fairest would have to remember to ask Alexander Brown about that quip.

The Fairest laughs. "Maybe Ingrid thinks we all dress weird?" Her violets pleasantly studied him. Quick was probably as lost as she was years ago. It was hard to figure out more about yourself and what you were without a Court, at least in her eyes.

"You know, part of what I do is listen to people. Listen when someone is in pain, despair, or at the lowest of their low."

Sasha tried very hard not to turn it into a lecture, but instead teach Quick about the things that made up Winter. "Sure, you may have your own worries. Your own problems, but it's truly humbling to listen to someone on their death bed listing off things in life they never did."

"I've volunteered at a homeless shelter many times. I am not going to be the one to tell you that there are people out there that have it worse than you do. I'm sure you've heard that dozens of times." Stating strictly as an example, but her glow surfaced a little because despite the sorrow it felt, it did bring her joy.

"I am the type of person who whilst taking in their Glamour, I like to give back." Her finger pointed sidelong. "There are people who like to cause people grief and sorrow too. I've met a few Winter's like that. But that is a hard path to get off once you get on, and it could lead to a lot of trouble."

Adding another example, and gesturing the opposite of her past directions. "There are just the observers too. Those that attend funerals, prayer services, just serve food at the homeless shelters. Say nothing and soak it all in."

"But, you can ask me questions about anything. I'm also familiar with some of the other Court's attributes." The Onyx didn't want to beg or plead with someone to join Winter, it was a tougher Court. But he may fit better in another without even knowing it yet.

**Quick** · Aug 5th, 2017 08:33 AM

That would explain the travel. Not knowing her all that well, he asks "Singing, then? Jazz?" Maybe the Blue Note was her way of settling down. Which begs the question of what he intends to do. How does a thief and a con with a vendetta make a home out of an unfamiliar city? Sacramento hasn't earned his 'stick-it-to-the-man' style of scorn. If anything, its been welcoming.

"Maybe." he agrees, halfheartedly. The Levinquick glances around, seeking something or nothing with his eyes. The wonderful gift his trip over There had left him? An almost uncontrollable impatience.

As the Winter Queen no doubt attempts to regale him, Quick fidgets uncomfortably. He hears her words. Comprehends them. But a hazy ringing in his ears grows as she continues. His malaise is interrupted, briefly, when she surprises him. Which, of course, elicits a few blinks and a refocusing of his seemingly divided attention.

"So... you don't just gloat in it, then? Their sadness. That's a relief." He tries to recall some of his encounters with other Winters on his travels, but some of them had been so closed off he really couldn't tell. All he has to go on is a stereotype. Which, of course, is a weak tool to judge outsiders with. And he's the outsider here.

Her offer, such as it is, gets him thinking. When one knows nothing of a topic, its difficult to find the right questions. Instead, he opts for a statement. The illusion of his mortal guise melts away and he reveals his strange countenance to this girl. And she's a stranger, in a sense. But an ally. Someone who knows his new home far better than he can - even with his wanderlust taking him from one end of the city to the other. He stands still, quiet, allowing her to take in his strange appearance. He guards himself for revulsion. Rejection. She doesn't seem the kind to react this way, but he can't help it. In this room, he's truly the ugly duckling.

"Springs I've talked to?" he starts, voice lowered somewhat. "Say you should live in the moment. Take this new life and live it. Summers... fight to keep Them at bay. All well and good. I can get where they're coming from. But me?" He draws a slow breath. "I just want back what They took. And I know its impossible. But I cling to it. Its why I hide my face. Why I never feel at home. Nothing is the same as my old life. Never will be." The last bit comes out almost choked, as he struggles with the gravity of it.

Quick and the Maze

Members who have read this thread : 14

Similar Threads

The Maze of Sacramento

Funderland (Mirror Maze) Meet and Greet!

Hollow (Mirror Maze) Chasing Reflections

Hollow (Mirror Maze) Winters' Thaw

A Maze meets Chaos