33: And she's dancing like she's never danced before

[Ebiris]

[14:01] <@Ebiris> The sun is just starting to set and the party at Rudy's house is just starting to warm up. Enough people have already arrived that it's past the awkward early stage, and the copious drinks and refreshments on offer are flowing freely converse and show off their nice clothes. The Anowian style spicy steamed shrimp is particularly a big hit, it seems. In the parlour Maestro Percussio has commandeered nearly half the room for setting up his instruments, aided by a half dozen flunkies - there's enough for a small orchestra there, being positioned and tuned under the watchful eye of the bushy-mustached and heavyset virtuoso, dressed in a glittering sequinned outfit that opens to reveal more of his hairy chest than most people would be comfortable showing.
[14:01] <@Ebiris> Aside from the Rudy's fellow adventurers and Trucy, most of the attendees present thus far are his neighbours who seem quite pleased to be here after seeing the effort he's put into things, and the three invited Collective pirates also seem to be putting aside their hatred for decadence and blending in, although Samarintha stiffly insists that they're merely taking the opportunity to learn more about the excesses of the enemy, twitching slightly as her sister dives into the shrimp with a gratified sigh and chases it down with wine that probably cost more than they're paying for their inn rooms for the week.
[14:03] <@Ebiris> *flowing freely as people converse
[14:06] <@Rudy> "And this is the reward for risking our lives!" exlcaims Rudy, nodding at Henrietta. "I completely see why you're into this adventuring thing now. It's practically criminal!"
[14:08] <@Henrietta> Her hair out of its usual ponytail and surrounding her head in a corona that looks far too casual to be truly natural in occurence, Henrietta stops a waiter to avail herself of a drink, the majority of her focus remaining on Rudy. She nods, taking a sip. "It is one of the most honorable professions in existence, and where else can you forge such great ties with an assortment of people?"
[14:08] * @Lucie might not have her exquisitely-tailored dress ready yet but she still looks more respectable than usual, having taken time to buy some more, well, normal clothes. Stuff that doesn't look like she pilfered it from a dead monk. Of course, being Lucie, she still has as much covered as possible, presently in a modest dress of deep green, but at least one can clearly see her face and hair
[14:08] * @Lucie for a change (though a scarf is knotted around her neck).
[14:11] <@Glenn> "Looks like your party is a huge success so far. I'm impressed, you certainly know how to throw a party, Rudy," Glenn comments as he sips some drink while approaching the host.
[14:11] * @Lucie joins her companions in a satisfied nod at the material rewards of hard work, though she has a curious glance for Henrietta. "Henri, what exactly are you wearing? Or not wearing."
[14:13] <@Henrietta> "Do you like it?" Henrietta asks, turning towards the sound of Lucie's voice and brushing her free hand down her front. "I have been waiting for a chance to try this little thing, and how thoughtful was it of Rudy to provide one for me?"
[14:13] <@Lucie> "Well," Lucie says after a long, thorough appraisal, "it does offer one a great deal to look at."
[14:14] <@Ebiris> The Jade Ravens arrive presently, all four seeming to have made an effort with their leader out of the armour you saw him in last and wearing a nicely cut but not particularly elaborate green and white striped suit, which only hints at his muscled figure, although his handsome face and square jaw are in evidence as he leads his group over and sticks a hand out at Rudy. "Hell of a party, looks like!" he enthuses, "We met before but not properly, I'm Tobin," he elaborates, fighting a losing battle to keep his gaze from diverting into Henrietta's gratutiously exposed cleavage. "This here's Zani," he adds in a far too distracted manner as a lithe and pale skinned woman with shocking white hair and pointed ears waves loosely from behind him, wearing a short skirted off the shoulder black dress.
[14:14] <@Ebiris> "Hello," she smiles slightly, her voice having a faintly accented twang at the end of the word. "We don't get to relax much like this doing the work we do. It seems that you have put an effort in."
[14:16] <@Rudy> Rudy reaches out to firmly grasp the hand, and pumps it vigorously! "Those who work hard must be rewarded with extravagance!" he responds, with his gaze automatically settling on the elven woman. "Besides, a month ago, I was destitute. Today, well, you can see for yourself. There's much to celebrate, and good fortune is best shared, is it not?"
[14:17] <@Henrietta> "Like I was telling you," Henrietta says, taking Lucie's appraisal as approval. "Every dress must be carefully calculated to make the right sort of impact. Add a touch of jewelry," she continues, gesturing at the sapphire she is wearing on a golden chain, "and some perfume, a bit of work on your hair and the right sort of shoes... then, you are all set!"
[14:17] <@Henrietta> The Jade Ravens arrive, then, and she smiles at them all invitingly in greeting. "Once more, a pleasure to see you all."
[14:17] <@Ebiris> The other two Jade Ravens are present as well, Liamae is wearing a red ballgown that looks like someone took a knife to it, slashes cut to show hints of dark flesh underneath, while the dwarf Kursk is wearing elaborate brown and gold robes, his beard braided into a half dozen strands down his chest. "Ahh, this is a job where you go from feast to famine and back again every other month," Kurk laughs and pats his belly.
[14:18] * @Lucie nods politely to the new arrivals, gaze lingering somewhat on the...elf? Whatever it is. Lucie's not used to seeing pointy ears.
[14:19] <@Rudy> "Aye, and this is very much the month of the feast," replies Rudy. For his part, he's clad in an eye-grabbing red suit. No gloves, to better show off his collection of rings, and the tie that keeps his ponytail in check seems to trail much further down his back than normal. "You must tell me about your own work! I understand you've been all over the countryside as of late?"
[14:20] <@Ebiris> "I'm truly charmed!" Tobin insists, his grip firm as he shakes Rudy's hand before he takes Henrietta's lifting it to kiss the back. "I hope Lady Vanderboren will have us working closely together in the future." Liamae just rolls her eyes and wanders off, while the elf shows a long suffering smile.
[14:20] <@Ebiris> "I do not think Lady Vanderboren pays us quite this much, no? The extra things we find are often more valiable," Zani offers conversationally. "The trip to Burnriver was quiet mostly. Except for the inn that was attacked."
[14:21] <@Ebiris> *valuable
[14:22] <@Glenn> "A quiet trip isn't bad now and then," Glenn notes.
[14:22] <@Lucie> "Yes, well, you could say this party's based on that too--most of the funds were found in the course of work," Lucie says, adding quickly: "She pays us respectably enough, of course."
[14:22] * @Henrietta gives Tobin another smile, saying, "I hope to have that chance myself." At Zani's words, she redirects her attention to her. Unlike the first time she had seen the elf, Henrietta does not linger overmuch on her very curious pointed ears, focusing on her face instead. "Attacked? It seems your trip was as exciting as our nautical journey. Was it more than common bandits?"
[14:23] <@Rudy> "An inn would be amongst the very last places I would wish to attack, were I a bandit. You never know who might be staying there, after all."
[14:23] <@Henrietta> "No one ever called bandits particularly smart or otherwise educated," Henrietta muses in response to Rudy.
[14:25] <@Rudy> "That may be natural; in a sense, the only ones who can definitively be named bandits are the ones who are caught."
[14:25] <@Ebiris> "Terrible business that inn, though," Kursk shakes his head. "One of those remote ones that just sees a couple people a week on a quiet road, y'know? Lovely family that run it, too... they asked us to take some food to a loner who they hadn't seen in a while. Said the woods were dangerous 'cause of wolves being more active. Well we did it, was just fine and dandy, too," he nods brusquely before Tobin picks up the tale.
[14:25] <@Ebiris> "It was just a diversion of a couple of hours, but when we came back it was already dark... except from an eerie green glow that came out of the inn windows. The door was locked by magic, but we heard a terrible voice inside, said 'It's too soon! At least I can see if this creation works better than the last!'" he puts on a creepy scratchy voice for the last part there.
[14:26] <@Glenn> "What are the ones who go uncaught called then?" Glenn asks Rudy with a raised eyebrow before turning back to listen to the tale, smiling at the voice impression.
[14:26] <@Rudy> "Legitimate businessmen?"
[14:27] * @Henrietta leans closer, eager to hear such a heroic tale!
[14:27] <@Ebiris> "It was some sort of zombie or golem made out of the innkeeper and his family and the other guest who was there," Zani's angular expression shifts into a frown, "We only saw the... necromancer? Briefly before he fled and we had to fight off the monster. It was truly horrifying to see the remnants of the innocent and friendly people we had seen few hours before being made into parts for that monster."
[14:28] <@Henrietta> "How dreadful!" Henrietta exclaims, gasping and placing her hand over her chest. "You met with such unfortune as well! It is a terrible thing, to see those you knew were once people and being unable to help them."
[14:29] <@Rudy> "Even worse to think that the one responsible still runs free to try again," replies Rudy, grimacing. "I cannot imagine what drives such a man."
[14:29] <@Ebiris> "It's an adventurers burden," Tobin sighs heavily, placing the back of his hand against his forehead. "The fiend escaped on some sort of monstrous flying bat... we had no way to follow him, and worse Lady Vanderboren was counting on our swift return."
[14:30] <@Ebiris> "The bat was undead, too," Liamae pipes up, returning with a chicken leg and a mug of ale. "Pretty scary stuff."
[14:30] <@Glenn> Glenn's smile turns to a frown, likewise. "Understandable, even if it's still horrible. Sometimes the situation just leaves you unable to do more."
[14:31] <@Henrietta> "It sounds like a really large bat," Henrietta says slowly, resolving to work on spells of flight when she has more time.
[14:32] <@Ebiris> "Best to do is not get hung up on it. Can't be everywhere, can't stop everyone," Kursk offers sagely. "What about your own adventures, then?"
[14:33] <@Rudy> "We travelled to Griffin Reef in search of Vanthus Vanderboren, but we found the entire town ruined," explains Rudy. "It was ghastly. Many of the inhabitants had been transformed by some foul alchemy. They were ravening, mad, and possessed of terrible strength."
[14:34] <@Henrietta> "We traveled on the open seas," Henrietta elaborates, believing the story needs more of an impact. "Griffin Reef was a secret pirate island where we faced terrible mutations one after the other, as alchemy went mad and turned every man or creature on land and in sea to a flesh-craving mindless mutant!"
[14:34] <@Lucie> "Killed her ladyship's brother after," Lucie adds. "Had it coming to him, after setting their parents' boat alight and all."
[14:35] <@Ebiris> Liamae twitches and looks around worriedly while Zani sidles up gracefully next to Rudy, "You should not say that name so lightly," she whispers, her breath soft on his ear. "It would harm the reputation of our Lady." Then all four of the Jade Ravens wince at Lucie's comment and look around furtively.
[14:36] <@Rudy> "You're right, of course," replies Rudy, moving right along. "It is difficult to talk of our adventures without doing so. Nonetheless, I hope that the Lady's work continues to take us far afield."
[14:36] <@Ebiris> Trucy happens to be lingering nearby and looks over with a mouthful of sweet-sauced fruit. "I didn't hear nuthin'!" she insists, voice garbled from what she's eating before she swallows.
[14:36] <@Lucie> "Apologies," Lucie says, looking around herself, ears burning. "Used to talking about these things amongst ourselves."
[14:37] * @Henrietta coughs, and excuses herself to try some of the famed shrimp.
[14:37] <@Glenn> "Don't worry about it too much. Better for it to be in Rudy's party than the banquet, right?" Glenn tells Lucie.
[14:38] <@Ebiris> "Oh, you like to travel?" Liamae brightens, "Well, I happen to know of a business opportunity for her Ladyship that might mean some travel," she shoves herself inbetween Lucie and Henrietta, helped by the latter's departure. "Anyone here interested in astronomy?"
[14:38] <@Ebiris> "Yes, tell them about your discovery, Liamae!" Tobin agrees with forced enthusiasm, tilting his head to watch Henrietta's rear as she departs.
[14:38] <@Lucie> "Yes," Lucie agrees with Glenn. "I'll try and make all my mistakes here so I haven't got any left for the banquet. Astronomy? Do tell. About both, really."
[14:39] <@Rudy> "I will be sure to go over each and every one of them," murmurs Rudy, before nodding at Liamae. "Whereabouts, do you think?"
[14:40] * @Glenn laughs. "I'm sure I'll make more mistakes than you if there's any left to make, Lucie. That way you don't have to worry about it either here or then, alright?"
[14:40] <@Lucie> "Oh, sure. I think of any more, I'll just pass them on to you."
[14:41] <@Glenn> "You do that. Cheers," he says, raising his half-finished glass a bit before finishing the drink off.
[14:41] <@Ebiris> "Well," the dusky woman grins smugly and draws herself up, "A new star appeared in the sky recently - a moving star. I've been following its progress, and I'm almost certain that in about two months that star is going to land in Eastern Isernia. If her Ladyship can buy up that land, it's going to see its value skyrocket when the falling star lands laden with precious metals just ripe to be plucked up right off the ground!"
[14:42] <@Rudy> "Precious metals, you say? What sort?" asks Rudy, genuinely interested.
[14:42] <@Henrietta> "How is it going, learning the excesses of the enemy?" Henrietta asks, sidling up to Eleanor. She sees no reason to go overboard with the food, and only gets enough for a light snack for herself. "Making any progress as yet?"
[14:42] <@Lucie> "Best tell her before anyone else catches on, then," Lucie says, sipping at her own drink. The wine is of rather higher quality booze than she's used to.
[14:43] <@Ebiris> "Adamantine mostly," Liamae replies, "There will be other metals, but adamantine is the most common and the most valuable - although there are stories of falling stars carrying strange magical materials that defy categorisation... among other things," she trails off with a sinister smile.
[14:44] <@Lucie> "'Other things?'" Lucie repeats dutifully.
[14:44] <@Ebiris> "No wonder rich people get fat!" Eleanor chirps while gorging herself excessively.
[14:45] <@Henrietta> "It must be the lack of proper exercise more than anything," Henrietta asserts, making sure to chew her food properly before speaking.
[14:45] <@Ebiris> "Monsters!" Liamae says in a delighted hiss. "That's where they come from, things like devils and angels - up there!" she points to the heavens. "There could be eggs cradled inside that fallen star!"
[14:46] <@Ebiris> "Yeah, that too," Eleanor nods, grabbing a wineglass from a passing server without moving her feet.
[14:46] <@Rudy> "Wait, what if they hatch upon landing? Do we really want Lady Lavinia to own land with such things running about?" asks Rudy, dubiously. "I'd love to work with adamantine, but if it's as you say, perhaps m'lady will require a fortress on her new property..."
[14:46] <@Lucie> "Really?" Lucie's gaze edges upward briefly. "Have you seen this for yourself?"
[14:48] <@Ebiris> "Just stories, but it makes sense," Liamae says. "No one's ever found Olympus or any of those other places on the planet - not on the tallest mountains, not in deep caves, not anywhere people've explored. So they must be up there, beyond the sky. And if Lady Vanderboren buys the land, she'd need to keep scavengers and thieves from plundering the fallen star before she can, and deal with any monsters that do come out."
[14:48] <@Henrietta> "How long are you going to be staying in Salerno?" Henrietta inquires, deciding to follow Eleanor's example and get herself a fresh drink.
[14:49] <@Ebiris> The young blonde burps in a not so dainty fashion, blushing and giggling afterwards, "Probably another week or two, doesn't sound like any friendly boats'll be by before then."
[14:49] <@Rudy> "And once the stone is gone, she'll need to develop it, no doubt. You've certainly sparked my interest. Why don't we take the proposal to Lady Lavinia this week?"
[14:50] <@Lucie> "Perhaps no one's found these places because they don't exist," Lucie wonders. "But that doesn't really matter. How far away is this rock going to land? Do you know exactly where already?"
[14:50] <@Ebiris> "They could be at the far North or South, or somewhere in the ocean between Cimmeria and Athnas," Tobin offers reasonably at Liamae's metaphysical pondering.
[14:50] <@Ebiris> "Ah, but if they are how do they get everywhere else on the world? Only by falling from the sky could it work!" she retorts quickly.
[14:51] <@Henrietta> "That long, is it?" Henrietta absent-mindedly snags another glass, and smiles at Eleanor before leaving her to her food and seeking out her older sister.
[14:51] <@Rudy> "Couldn't they fly?"
[14:52] <@Ebiris> "And it's about tree hundred miles away, maybe. It's hard to be exact, but that's my best guess," she replies to Rudy. "I was going to take it to her Ladyship soon, I'd just been finalising my calculations the last few days after getting into town. Besides, not every monster can fly, so it's easier if they just land from the sky to start with this way."
[14:54] <@Lucie> "Let us know once everything's sorted out? I'd volunteer if everyone else would--I've never been outside the city before."
[14:54] <@Rudy> "Yes you have," replies Rudy, blinking. "We were out last week."
[14:54] <@Ebiris> Samarintha is found over in the parlour where the musicians are setting up... along with Vriskna (you don't recall seeing the latter arrive). The two seem embroiled in a vicious argument about religion right now... "So if you're nice and obedient and meek in this life you get rewarded in the next? What a crock, that's just a way for the nobles to condition us to be pathetic little servants!" the blonde insists hotly at the horned woman.
[14:54] * @Lucie waves this away. "Yes, but all we saw were waves and monsters. That's not really an enjoyable trip."
[14:55] <@Ebiris> "Yeah, I hate sea travel," Kursk commiserates with Lucie. "Makes me sick."
[14:56] <@Lucie> "And we were attacked by mutants with tentacles," Lucie adds. "What does that show me of the rest of the world, really?"
[14:56] <@Glenn> "Nothing good seems to be found on islands. First zombies, then mutants," the alchemist says. "I'll stay firmly in this body of land for a long time, I hope."
[14:56] <@Henrietta> "Vrisnka! You came!" Henrietta exclaims, all smiles before she schools her expression into a far more neutral one. She wavers, but then looks at the second glass she is holding, and offers it to her. "I'm just holding onto this anyway, so you can have it."
[14:57] <@Rudy> "Hmm. Well, I do hope the Lady sees the merit in your proposal- I have it on good authority she's in a spot to invest, mind," replies Rudy, nodding. "I'll see you all later, I'm sure!" He wanders off to seek out another glass of wine, before approaching one of his new neighbours!
[14:57] <@Ebiris> "Hello Blessed One," Vriskna turns to Henrietta with a saccharine smile. "I had a little time to spare so thought I'd drop in briefly. Such charming company you keep, too." Samarintha just rolls her eyes.
[15:01] <@Henrietta> "You two met?" Henrietta asks, placing her spare drink onto a passing waiter's plate rather than hold it out awkwardly. "Samarintha, this is my rival, Vriskna. Vriskna, this is Samarintha. I think she is actually from that place you talked about, with the uprising?"
[15:01] <@Ebiris> Rudy finds a charmingly pretty and well bred daughter of one of his rich neighbours and starts to rapidly hit it off - she laughs at his jokes, bats her eyelashes demurely, and stands close enough to occassionally touch him as they move about! Then he feels an arm over his shoulders and is confronted by the almost pretty but for the broken nose face of Maril, the redhead smiling widely at him before shooting a venomous look at young Alana. "Rudy! Looks like you're doing well for yourself now!" she enthuses, "We ought to catch up on old times. Remember the *fun* we had last time?"
[15:04] <@Ebiris> "She's a small minded boor," Vriskna replies bluntly, looking as if she'd rather throw her wine at the blonde than drink it.
[15:04] <@Ebiris> "What, just because I don't let myself be brainwashed by your ridiculous notions of goddesses and heavens and hells? I'm open minded but I'm not stupid," the pirate retorts.
[15:05] <@Rudy> "Hmm? Only now? Haven't I always done well for myself?" asks Rudy, managing to turn his sigh into a smirk. "How about you, Maril? Still living dangerously and running out of inns?"
[15:05] <@Lucie> "So how far afield has your work taken you all?" Lucie wonders to Liamae and the other Ravens.
[15:08] <@Ebiris> "We haven't really left Isernia - at least not as a group. Obviously Zani's not from around here," Liamae replies, the elven woman nodding agreeably.
[15:08] <@Ebiris> "I wanted to see the rest of the world, but working with the Ravens helps to make my life easier on this land," she explains.
[15:09] <@Lucie> "Where *are* you from?" Lucie asks. A quick amendment: "If you don't my asking. I've not heard the accent before."
[15:09] <@Ebiris> "You know me, Rudy, I like to live life hard and fast," the redheaded sailor grins lecherously, "S'I recall, you managed to keep up pretty well, didn't you?"
[15:09] <@Ebiris> Alana fumbles awkwardly and starts to drift away, "Ah, I think I saw my friend over there..." she mumbles lamely.
[15:10] * @Henrietta is briefly stumped by such bluntness and hostility, and while she would normally stammer here this she cannot afford it tonight! Didn't she decide to be bad for a night and see how she liked it? That means she cannot possibly draw back into her real self.
[15:10] <@Henrietta> "I don't know about that," Henrietta speaks, a smile tugging at her lips. "Just two weeks ago, I was as brash as you, but now I want to actually learn about the things I used to dismiss out of hand. Lack of proof of something is not proof for it not existing, and to merely claim something like that is just too lazy, I now think,"
[15:10] <@Ebiris> "Abilestir," Zani smiles, blinking her solid black eyes, "Your people call it Cimmeria. I am from the tribe of Il'Alurin."
[15:11] <@Rudy> "Oh, don't let her deceive you, Alana! Maril is quite harmless, really!" insists Rudy. "She tries very hard, but she's still harmless!"
[15:12] <@Lucie> "Oh. I see," Lucie says, few of these names meaning much to her.
[15:12] <@Ebiris> "It's propaganda," Samarintha huffs. "Like all that crap about 'sacrifice to the gods to be rewarded'. It conditions people into the capitalistic mindset and makes it harder to concieve of legitimate alternatives!"
[15:13] <@Glenn> "What brought you all the way to here?" Glenn asks Zani.
[15:14] <@Henrietta> "It is somewhat petty for a complaint, don't you think?" Henrietta asks the blonde. "After all, Hecate's offering are just small pieces of meat. That's hardly the sort of capitalist venture you would normally look twice at."
[15:14] <@Ebiris> "Oh... well..." Maril frowns a moment before putting on a big smile and reaching over to grab Alana's arm. "If that's what you like Rudy... I guess you deserve it," she croons, drawing the rapidly flushing girl back towards the two of them. "What do you say, Alana was it? Think Rudy's worth it?"
[15:15] <@Ebiris> "Yes, such a small trifle for the favour of the Dark Goddess," Vriskna agrees with a condescending look at the Collective wizard. "If the Gods are false, you lose so little... but if they are real, can you really afford to scorn them?"
[15:16] <@Henrietta> "Well, I remember scorning them and I'm alright."
[15:16] <@Ebiris> "We sometimes saw people from this land back home - more and more as the years pass. I wanted to see where they came from," Zani elaborates. "Also, there were problems in the tribe. It was better for me to go away," she adds, looking down.
[15:17] <@Rudy> Rudy decides this is an ample reason to chug the rest of his glass in one go.
[15:17] <@Ebiris> Alana eeps and looks around like a frightened rabbit, finding herself forced against Rudy by Maril's embrace and looking utterly mortified.
[15:17] <@Lucie> "'Problems?'" Lucie echoes, with characteristic tact and sympathy.
[15:17] <@Glenn> "Ah. How have you found your experience here then? Hopefully enjoyable?"
[15:18] <@Ebiris> "Hecate has blessed you in spite of your disbelief," Vriskna observes smoothly. "In time I'm sure you'll become every bit as devoted as I am, Miss Ul'Copt."
[15:19] <@Ebiris> "It is nice," Zani smiles at Glenn. "I have good friends in the Jade Ravens. Better than my friends at home. And Lady Vanderboren is a kind woman. She could be a good Queen."
[15:20] <@Rudy> There are only two routes open to Rudy! The route of the coward, where the comforting grasp of medicority awaits him! Or! Or! The route of the brave man! "Miss Alana," he manages, behaving like a gentleman and taking one of her hands. "Would you care to dance?"
[15:21] <@Ebiris> "Y.. yes!" Alana seems to take heart from Rudy's gaze and shoves Maril away with surprising strength! By divine providence, the strains of music are heard as the Maestro begins his craft, heard throughout the house and likely outside, and seen by Henrietta and company as he begins to play the harpsichord and begin to sing a stirring ballad about becoming a king of all one surveys with strength and courage!
[15:22] <@Lucie> "Queen? Do you think that's possible?" Lucie wonders, though it's probably lost as the musicians gear up.
[15:22] <@Henrietta> "We'll see," Henrietta muses. "Before anything else, I'll need to study quite a bit. It is very pleasant to have your arguments be accepted on their own merits."
[15:23] <@Ebiris> "It's not quite the same when Zani says Queen as we think of," Tobin interjects as the elf blinks owlishly, "For her its more like the leader of a tribe than a country. And to her we're all part of Lady Vanderboren's tribe."
[15:24] <@Ebiris> "Also your friend Henrietta has been gone some time... I'd better go look for her," the leader of the Jade Ravens decides, wandering off.
[15:25] <@Lucie> "Yeees," Lucie deadpans as he walks off. "I'm sure he's only worried she might've got into trouble. This is a dangerous place, no?"
[15:25] <@Ebiris> "C'mon, can you blame him?" Liamae laughs, "I thought my outfit was daring, but she's something else!"
[15:25] <@Glenn> "With the dress she was wearing? She's in danger from all the men," Glenn jokes.
[15:26] <@Ebiris> "She would make a good mother," Zani nods sombrely.
[15:26] <@Rudy> "I'm sorry for Maril," he whispers, drawing Alana away from Maril and guiding her towards the floor. "We cheat each other out of money, but that's all there is to us." He gives her a rakish grin, setting himself up to begin the dance. "I always like to live with an edge of danger."
[15:28] <@Lucie> "I suppose I can't," Lucie concedes. "I'm still amazed she wore it. But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised given the level of courage previously shown." A nod. "The red looks nice on you, incidentally."
[15:29] <@Ebiris> Hours pass and people enjoy themselves greatly enjoying fantastic music, engaging in lively discussion, indulging in rich foods to excess, and generally having a fantastic time. Its as Rudy is taking a breather from dancing and Alana's increasingly comfortable company that a beautiful horned woman in black robes sidles up to him, her voice pitched at an alluring whisper, "You really do know how to throw a party, Mr Giacomo. But how would you like to see it go from the merely fantastic, into the realm of legends?"
[15:32] <@Rudy> "Lady, that's the best pickup I've ever heard, and I've heard a few," replies Rudy, swirling a long-stemmed glass. "What's your angle?"
[15:34] <@Ebiris> "I recall you were there when dear Miss Ul'Copt received the blessing of Hecate, and so many unworthy ones endured the charming humiliation of transformation," Vriskna whispers, flashing a perfect pearly-white smile. "There are other secrets I can employ for the amusement and enlightenment of all... and this party has been sufficiently lively as to justify the effort."
[15:36] <@Rudy> "You intrigue me. No, you're converting me," replies Rudy, arching an eyebrow.
[15:41] <@Ebiris> "I thought I would," she nods agreeably. "Come, then, I'll need a table to set up - you can have the honour of going first, if you're brave enough," she croons, leading Rudy now to the dining room and claiming most of the table, having a few servants shift items away to make space. From the folds of her robes she produces a deck of cards and flexes her fingers to make them spring through the air in a constant curving stream to land neatly lined up in her other hand. Her voice calls out, pitched to be heard even above the music being tirelessly played by the Maestro (he's playing the harpsichord with his feet while laying on his back to blow into a series of trumpets and strum a guitar all at once, and doing so with prodigious skill at that), "I hold here a deck of Prophecy Cards! But no mere tawdry fortune telling is this! These are cards said blessed by some and cursed by others, carrying the potential of true power! By drawing a card from this deck, the very streams of time are unravelled to bring to life both past and future, perhaps to warn, perhaps to doom! To draw from this deck is to be given a terrifying gift, or a wondrous blight! If you have a brave heart, then pray for fortune and step forward!"
[15:42] <@Rudy> "You only live once!" pronounces Rudy. "Live with courage!"
[15:43] <@Rudy> He steps up to the table, hand poised over the deck and ready to draw!
[15:43] <@Henrietta> "Courage is my middle name," Henrietta says, making her way towards Rudy. That night, at least.
[15:43] * @Lucie has enough experience with fortunetelling (or at least faking it) to be curious about where this goes. She pushes her way to the front of the audience next to Henrietta.
[15:43] <@Ebiris> Grinning vibrantly, Vriskna shuffles the cards with deft skill as a crowd crams into the dining room to observe, the disciple of Hecate spreading the cards in an evenly spaced line before her. "Pick only one, for the greedy will be punished," she warns eagerly.
[15:43] <@Ebiris> OOC: go ahead Rudy, then roll 1d31
[15:44] <@Rudy> Rudy's hand sweeps out to pluck one of the cards from the table, and he reads the face of it with great anticipation!
[15:44] <@Rudy> roll 1d31 knightknightknight
[15:44] * +Hatbot --> "Rudy rolls 1d31 knightknightknight and gets 28." [1d31=28]
[15:44] <@Ebiris> The cards are all face down, the top showing an olive green ridged pattern.
[15:44] <@Ebiris> OOC: wait, I miscounted my list! Roll 1d30, sorry
[15:44] <@Rudy> roll 1d30 you did that on purpose
[15:44] * +Hatbot --> "Rudy rolls 1d30 you did that on purpose and gets 29." [1d30=29]
[15:45] <@Ebiris> roll 1d6
[15:45] * +Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d6 and gets 2." [1d6=2]
[15:45] <@Glenn> "Wonder what he'll get..." Glenn says as he watches curious as to this new game.
[15:48] * @Henrietta holds her breath, her eyes kept on Rudy.
[15:48] <@Ebiris> Rudy turns his card over, on it is revealed a group of humanoid figures seeming to be made out of white wax, partially melted and posed in various positions. "The Waxworks!" Vriskna proclaims. "Beware, Mr Giacomo, for no boon is that cursed card!"
[15:48] <@Ebiris> At the same time, a new figure enters from the kitchen with his arm around Maril who looks particularly smug, "What's going on now?" the figure asks, before locking eyes with Rudy... it is another Rudy! Lucie feels someone pinching her bum, and is startled to find that Rudy is behind her as well, grinning lecherously!
[15:49] * @Henrietta blinks, before she laughs, instantly taking care to cover her mouth with the back of her hand.
[15:49] <@Rudy> Rudy blinks. "Hey, bro! Taking one for the team, right?" he calls, waving at the Rudy embracing Maril.
[15:50] * @Lucie whips around instantly ready to deck whoever had the temerity to grope her. Well, unless it's someone she'd want to. Mysterious Clone Rudy doesn't qualify and gets a punch in the face unless he can move fast!
[15:50] <@Glenn> "Rudy, you had brothers and didn't say!" Glenn says with a laugh. "For shame, man! For shame!"
[15:51] <@Ebiris> "Doppelganger!" the Rudy with Maril exclaims, pointing at the Rudy near Vriskna. "Myra, kill him!" he exclaims, starting to focus as if he were constipated. OOC: Lucie go and roll an attack for your molester
[15:51] <@Lucie> roll 1d20+5 (I havwe no unarmed proficiency, forget if that incurs a penalty or AoO)
[15:51] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d20+5 (I havwe no unarmed proficiency, forget if that incurs a penalty or AoO) and gets 15." [1d20=10]
[15:51] <@Ebiris> OOC: Rudy doesn't either. Damage
[15:52] <@Lucie> roll 1d4+2 I believe
[15:52] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d4+2 I believe and gets 4." [1d4=2]
[15:52] <@Rudy> "Oi, Vriskna, isn't this a bit serious for a party trick?" asks Rudy, with a trace of nervousness in his eyes as he glances at Myra, who loiters in a corner of the room under a blanket.
[15:52] <@Ebiris> "Oww!" the groping Rudy clutches his nose as Lucie flattens it. "I can't help it, you look just like my mother, Lucie!"
[15:53] * @Henrietta steps right up and places her hand on the card directly before Vriskna, locking her eyes with the horned woman's. "How about an extra bet on the side?" she asks her. "If my luck holds, you have to tell me the trick behind these cards!"
[15:53] <@Rudy> "You don't need to take that shit from him, Lucie!"
[15:53] <@Ebiris> "I did warn you of misfortune," Vriskna grins smugly. Myra seems uninterested in the clones at least. "They won't last forever at least... even if they can avoid being killed, that is," she smirks over at Lucie's victim.
[15:53] <@Lucie> "WHAT?!" Lucie advances on him, fist raised threateningly. "You want another one, just say that again! Go ahead!"
[15:54] <@Ebiris> "Well I always did lust after my dear old mom," the fake Rudy mumbles, clutching his nose. "Also I wet the bed until I was twelve... she beat me every time, just like you're beating me now!" he smiles blissfully while the second Rudy continues to concentrate!
[15:55] <@Rudy> "If they're made of wax, does that mean they bleed wax, too?" mumbles Rudy. "I don't want blood on my carpet."
[15:55] <@Lucie> "Er." Lucie backs away, turns to look at the real Rudy. "How much of that's true?"
[15:56] <@Ebiris> The second Rudy stops concentrating for a moment. "Every word! I also liked to torture small defenceless animals, too!"
[15:56] <@Ebiris> Maril starts to edge away from her Rudy, looking perturbed.
[15:56] <@Ebiris> "In a minute, lets watch this," Vriskna grins at Henrietta.
[15:56] <@Henrietta> "That is a lie!" Henrietta exclaims. "The real Rudy helped save a beautiful wounded bird! He doesn't hate animals!"
[15:57] <@Ebiris> "Was it a sexy bird?" the Rudy with the wounded nose asks. "'Cause I'd be all over that!"
[15:57] <@Rudy> "Lies! All lies!" insists Rudy. "Maestro! Something angry, if you would! Because I am.. very... angry.. at myself!"
[15:57] <@Rudy> "Myra! Some guests need bouncing!"
[15:57] <@Glenn> "Do you -really- want them outside the house, causing mayhem out on the streets, Rudy?"
[15:58] <@Rudy> "Ght- no..."
[15:58] <@Rudy> "Wait, don't give them ideas!"
[15:58] <@Ebiris> A loud crash of drums is heard reverbating through the house, like the rage of an angry god! Myra bursts from under her blankets and starts hustling the two imposters out with her freakish long limbs, to cries and protestations of "Traitor!" and "I thought you loved me, Myra! We had something special!"
[16:00] <@Ebiris> The false Rudys are incapable of putting up much of a fight, and vanish entirely once pushed past the threshold. "And so perhaps a glimpse of a dark future or possible present had Mr Giacomo tread a different path? The ways of prophecy are mysterious indeed," Vriskna intones ominously. "Now, I believe dear Miss Ul'Copt wished to try her luck?" she expertly lifts up the Waxworks card, leaving the others behind.
[16:00] <@Ebiris> OOC: roll 1d29 Henri
[16:00] <@Rudy> "Chase them! Chase them far away!" bawls Rudy, reaching for another glass of wine and downing it in one go.
[16:00] <@Henrietta> "Just remember our deal!" Henrietta announces, fearlessly drawing the card right before her.
[16:00] <@Henrietta> roll 1d29
[16:00] * +Hatbot --> "Henrietta rolls 1d29 and gets 20." [1d29=20]
[16:01] <@Ebiris> OOC: roll 1d10
[16:01] <@Henrietta> roll 1d10
[16:01] * +Hatbot --> "Henrietta rolls 1d10 and gets 4." [1d10=4]
[16:02] <@Ebiris> roll 1d6 wis damage
[16:02] * +Hatbot --> "Ebiris rolls 1d6 wis damage and gets 4." [1d6=4]
[16:04] <@Ebiris> Henrietta turns over a card showing an emanciated man in rags covered in weeping sores crying to the heavens. "The Sickness!" Vriskna exclaims, Henrietta suddenly feeling light-headed and hysterical, her breath coming out in wheezing cackles and guffaws! "Perhaps a warning to look after your health more from the future?"
[16:05] <@Henrietta> Wasn't the recent past enough? Will the terrible scepter of disease hang over her head for all of time?!
[16:05] <@Ebiris> "Two hostile cards gone!" Vriskna scoops up the Sickness card. "The odds more and more favour a beneficial card! Will any be brave enough to try next?"
[16:06] <@Rudy> "This is what we get for flirting with dark powers," mutters Rudy, sidling next to Samarintha. "I think you were on to something. Nothing good will come of this."
[16:06] * @Henrietta needs a drink to settle down the coughing, and departs in search of one. Or as many as it takes to breathe halfway normally again.
[16:07] <@Ebiris> "It's all trickery, probably illusion or something," Samarintha mutters bitterly, downing a mug of ale.
[16:07] <@Lucie> "Are you alright, Henri?" Lucie asks, looking her over in passing as she steps to the front. "*Are* there any beneficials cards?" she wonders as she steps up to the table, examining them all very closely for anything marked or any pattern that might goad people into taking particular cards (usually that's how these things work. But then, usually they don't make clones of people, either).
[16:07] <@Rudy> "Can you tell?"
[16:08] <@Ebiris> The cards all seem identical while face down. Samarintha casts a spell and frowns at the cards before shaking her head. "It's potent magic... beyond me, I admit. Still doesn't make it right."
[16:08] <@Henrietta> Wine helps conquer the hysteria, if not the light-headness, and Henrietta salutes Lucie with her glass.
[16:08] <@Glenn> "How long will the effects of the cards last?" Glenn asks with a frown. Rudy's results seemed almost humorous, but it isn't nice to see Henrietta looking ill.
[16:08] <@Ebiris> "There are many beneficial ones," Vriskna asserts. "Perhaps Miss Ul'Copt and Mr Giacomo have been so lucky lately that fate felt a rebalance was needed?"
[16:09] <@Ebiris> "By and large the effects, whether for better or worse, end with the rising of the sun," she adds to Glenn.
[16:09] <@Rudy> "Don't listen to her! We're not slaves to luck!" blurts out Rudy.
[16:09] <@Lucie> "This'd better be the best thing in the deck, then," Lucie says, with a challenging look at Vriskna as she takes a card.
[16:09] <@Ebiris> OOC: roll 1d28
[16:09] <@Lucie> roll 1d28
[16:09] * +Hatbot --> "Lucie rolls 1d28 and gets 24." [1d28=24]
[16:10] <@Henrietta> "We--" Henrietta clears her throat. "That's right! We make our own luck!"
[16:10] <@Rudy> "Because we cheat!"
[16:10] <@Henrietta> "Ye-- no!"
[16:10] * @Henrietta waggles her finger at Rudy sternly. "You tried to trick me!"
[16:10] <@Rudy> "Because we cheat!"
[16:11] <@Henrietta> "You cheat!"
[16:11] * @Henrietta stands proudly, downing another glass. "My talents are all natural! I don't need to cheat!"
[16:12] <@Rudy> "You wanna put money on that?"
[16:12] <@Ebiris> Lucie turns over a card... it reveals a rampant unicorn, rearing up and waving its hooves, horn gleaming off the rising sun! "The Unicorn..." Vriskna breathes, awed...
[16:12] -> *Lucie* You think back on past regrets and wish you had done something differently... You now have that power to undo that choice, to have done something differently! Choose!
[16:12] <@Henrietta> "Money is boring. Put something else on it instead!"
[16:13] <@Glenn> "What's so special about the unicorn?" Glenn asks.
[16:13] <@Glenn> He also looks around the room, looking for some exciting effect, not seeing anything on Lucie at first.
[16:14] <@Rudy> Rudy scrunches up his face. "One day!" he decides.
[16:14] <@Henrietta> "One day what?"
[16:14] <@Rudy> "I'll do whatever you want for one day. You could say I'll be your slave for a day!"
[16:16] <@Henrietta> "And vice-versa?" Henrietta asks, sauntering towards Rudy. "I accept."
[16:17] <@Rudy> "Then we need a test!"
[16:17] <@Ebiris> Abruptly Lucie vanishes! A second later... who is Lucie? Who's turn was it? No one has any memory of knowing her - she was never here, never a part of this group and all their adventures! Vriskna idly pockets a card, whistling innocently. "I say again, who's next?"
[16:18] <@Ebiris> OOC: Lucie, #evil
[16:19] * @Henrietta smiles in challenge. "For merely luck? A cointoss, best two out of three. Unless you want a true test of skill and... talent?"
[16:19] * @Glenn blinks in surprise, wondering who went while he was looking away from the table... "Well, since you said chances of a good card have gone up, I'll give it a whirl!" Glenn says as he grabs a card. "I could use some good luck!"
[16:20] * @Henrietta gives the subject brief consideration. "In that case, a contest of dancing should suit us well."
[16:20] <@Glenn> ooc: d27 now then?
[16:21] <@Ebiris> OOC: yes
[16:21] <@Glenn> roll d27
[16:21] * +Hatbot --> "Glenn rolls d27 and gets 19." [d27=19]
[16:21] <@Rudy> "We will have the Maestro adjudicate," replies Rudy. "If you can't beat me, it proves that you need to cheat to be successful! Of course, if you cheat and nobody notices..."
[16:23] <@Henrietta> "Hmph." Henrietta shakes her head, animating her hair around it with the gesture. "Just try it. Even if you cheat, I will win this challenge!"
[16:23] <@Ebiris> Glenn turns over a card revealing a man in armoured robes with a wide hat and a severe gaze. "The Inquisitor," Vriskna nods... before suddenly paling.
[16:23] -> *Glenn* You feel emboldened by Truth and Rightousness. You can ask one question to anyone you speak with, and they will be forced to tell the truth completely, with nothing hidden or falsified.
[16:23] <@Rudy> "Oh? So you're taking a handicap? I'm not the kind of person who plays fair unless he has to, you know," replies Rudy, grinning.
[16:24] * @Henrietta has an answering grin of her own. "I feel like I can do anything tonight! I cannot lose!"
[16:27] <@Rudy> "Maestro! We will dance!" announces Rudy, stepping out to the floor once again! "A tango, if you will! And when we finish, the victor is yours to decide!" He makes a sweeping bow, and extends a hand to Henri. "If you do not mind."
[16:28] <@Glenn> "Why do you run all these games of chance?" Glenn asks Vriskna, seeing her face, curious if it's just a matter of amusement outdoing her worries. Man, what a face she's making...
[16:29] <@Ebiris> Now the Maestro waves th Rudy before giving up on his trumpets and standing up, playing an uptempo tune on the guitar while hitting drum levers with his feet to add percussion to the rhythm, a primal pulse-pounding beat as he starts to sing of passion and love! More people start to dance, the talents of the Maestro drawing them away from Vriskna's game since nothing seems as impressive as the multiple Rudys.
[16:29] * @Henrietta accepts it with an elegance cultivated in her from birth. "Do not resent me when you are found lacking," she responds, allowing herself to be pulled into Rudy's arms.
[16:31] <@Ebiris> "Because they amuse me and my life is very boring and lonely most of the time. Also I like to seem like I know more than I really do," Vriskna replies before her eyes widen and she glares at Glenn, snatching up the Inquisitor card. "You'll forget what I said tomorrow, anyway," she mutters petulantly.
[16:31] <@Rudy> "I am everything but that, my lady. Allow me to show you!" With a vigor that transcends mere drunkeness, he leads off on the most feared but must delightful dance of youthful spirit!
[16:33] <@Glenn> "Well, if nobody else takes you up on a game, we do have some nice music playing, perhaps a dance will be to your liking?" Glenn offers in lieu of an apology, though he can't keep some amusement off his lips.
[16:34] * @Henrietta meets Rudy there step for step, but it isn't long before she begins introducing subtle motions that direct their dance without breaking their harmony or disrupting the rhythm. "I await to be impressed, kind sir," Henrietta tells him sweetly, dipped back dangerously low before she returns with a vengeance, aggressively invading Rudy's personal space!
[16:34] <@Ebiris> With nobody else lining up for a draw of the cards, Vriskna huffs and reshuffles them, hiding them back in her robes. "Just one dance," she allows, offering Glenn her hand and stepping around the table with practiced grace.
[16:36] <@Glenn> "Excellent. For what it's worth, I certainly find what you do to be amusing, I was going to try and invite you to this party but was unable to find you. Glad to see you managed to find your way here anyway," Glenn admits as he takes the hand and leads her to the dance floor.
[16:37] <@Rudy> "Do you know something about the tango, m'lady?" asks Rudy, beginning to pick up the pace. "It's a dance where the woman must rely on the man. That is, it's the woman's trust in the man's grip that plays the biggest role! Like so!" He steps forward, guiding Henri into an artful arch that has her back scant centimetres from the ground! "To yourself, even for a little bit, you must admit my skill!"
[16:38] <@Ebiris> Vriskna is a hesitant dancer, holding Glenn's hand and shoulder and letting him touch her hip but she keeps space between their bodies. "You did make a handsome goat," she recalls with a slight chuckle.
[16:39] <@Ebiris> "That's the tango double-over arch! I-impossible!" Trucy gasps, watching Rudy and Henrietta's dance.
[16:39] * @Henrietta copies the same look she had seen in her mother's eyes when she danced with her father, directing its full force upwards at Rudy. "But what is more admirable? The skill to dance, to control... or the courage to submit, regardless of danger, and to trust so fully, without any trace of fear?"
[16:41] <@Glenn> "It was an interesting experience! A bit bothersome to not be able to speak, but certainly novel!" Glenn laughs as he leads, a bit awkwardly, but at least not stepping on her toes, and he's doing it mostly right, keeping in step with the music.
[16:43] <@Rudy> "In that case, tell me this!" replies Rudy, pulling Henri up and moving into short, precise movements; quarter-circle spins, and- lift! "As an adventurer, what is most valuable? It's your own ability! The power to take and shape the world, isn't it?!"
[16:43] <@Ebiris> "So fast! I can barely follow their movements!" Trucy grabs Eleanor and drags her close, shaking her with excitement as she watches.
[16:46] * @Henrietta holds perfectly still as she is raised, much like a sculpture, her dress shimmering enticingly. "Ability is important," she agrees with Rudy, smiling at him. As her draws her back in, she leans forward, her breath tickling his ear. "But many can make the journey here from Jovar. It takes tenacity and strength of spirit to leave everything behind, wouldn't you agree?" she whispers to
[16:46] * @Henrietta Rudy.
[16:49] <@Rudy> "Isn't confidence built from faith in oneself? Or could it be- your faith is in the world you have yet to see?!" Allowing Henri to land, Rudy releases her from one hand and grasps about her waist with the other, ready to come to the end position!
[16:53] <@Ebiris> Alana sobs into Tobin's shoulder as the pair of them watch Henrietta and Rudy's performance, the latter looking stoic and noble while subtly copping a feel.
[16:54] <@Glenn> "Enjoying the dance? I'm not as great a dancer as those two, but I hope I'm doing well enough for this lady to remember the experience fondly," Glenn asks with a smile.
[16:54] <@Henrietta> "I am more than the sum of my parts," Henrietta responds, stepping in. Her hands press gently against Rudy's chest, before drawing upwards and settling over his shoulders. "When I believe in myself, I believe more than just in my strength. Can you say the same?"
[16:55] <@Rudy> "No. Deep down, I'm a coward," replies Rudy, with a quiet grin. "Did you know that cowards always admire and aspire to bravery without ever reaching it?"
[16:56] <@Ebiris> "It was a pleasant diversion," Vriskna nods briefly to Glenn, letting go of him and stepping back. "Still, the night goes on and I have places to be, so I'd best depart. Until next time, then," she leans in and gives him a brief peck on the cheek before turning and heading through into the hallway.
[16:57] <@Ebiris> OOC: Rudy and Henri, roll charisma (or perform: dance) checks to see who wins?
[16:57] <@Glenn> Glenn blushes a bit and smiles. "Until next time!" he agrees.
[16:57] <@Rudy> roll 1d20+6 HEROPOINT!!notreally
[16:57] * +Hatbot --> "Rudy rolls 1d20+6 HEROPOINT!!notreally and gets 7." [1d20=1]
[16:58] * @Henrietta answers him with a grin of her own, though it is far sultrier. "In that case, just give in and follow my lead," she murmurs, directing him to take them towards an inspiring finish that would truly make this party memorable for times to come!
[16:58] <@Henrietta> roll 1d20+6+8 I really will use one!
[16:58] * +Hatbot --> "Henrietta rolls 1d20+6+8 I really will use one! and gets 21." [1d20=7]
[17:00] <@Ebiris> The Maestro builds to a crescendo as his song and performance finishes, looking over to the two figures in the centre of the floor. "Much as I love the man who pays for me to grace you all with my presence, I find I cannot deny a beautiful lady!" he intones lyrically. "The woman, she dances with heart! With passion! With power! I am in love!" he blows Henrietta a heartfelt kiss.
[17:01] * @Henrietta accepts it with a confidence she is in abundance of, that night.
[17:02] <@Rudy> "In the end, this is the fate of the honest man," muses Rudy, sketching a deep bow. "Well, then."
[17:06] <@Henrietta> Well, then. Flushed with excitement, Henrietta wavers between taking another drink of wine and dancing again. The dancing fever wins out, in the end, and she seeks out Zani. She had always been fascinated about elves, after all....

------------

[16:20] <@Ebiris> "More tea, Mistress?" the demure young maid asks, pouring out a cup as Lucie sits on the balcony of a manor overlooking Salerno from the Champion District, the forgotten slums of Shadowshore far below. Lucie is wearing an elegant gown, low on the shoulders and baring pale and creamy skin, no trace of disease or disfigurement. She still remembers everything from her old life, right up until she suddenly arrived here, sitting on a stuffed and comfortable chair in a rich pavillion, attended by several servants...
[16:22] <Lucie> "What?" Lucie blinks, rallying momentarily with a "Yes, of course, thank you." It's generally what you say when a pretty young lady's offering you something. She looks down at herself, not believing what she's seeing.
[16:24] <@Ebiris> The delicate porcelain teacup is handed over. "I believe Lord Taskerhill sent over another marriage proposal this evening, Mistress. Shall I burn it with all the rest?" the maid asks pleasantly.
[16:26] <Lucie> "Ah...yes. Yes, of course." Lucie takes a sip of the tea to settle herself. "Burn it with gusto." Lucie raises a hand to her shoulder, touching experimentally what she's accustomed to seeing a stony, calcified expanse.
[16:27] <@Ebiris> She only finds soft and supple skin there, no sign at all of her former disfigurement. The smell of scented oils and perfume linger upon her skin, testifying to a careful routine of beautification and skin care.
[16:31] <Lucie> "Good. Very good," Lucie says quietly, mostly to herself. "Now, ah--" she addresses the maid, not knowing her name but, well, servants don't need to be addressed by name, do they? "How long exactly have I held this house? I was lost in a reverie just now and it struck me I could not recall the exact day."
[16:33] <@Ebiris> "Two years nearly, Mistress," the maid replies, seeming unaffected by the question. "You purchased it with the reward you earned for foiling Mistress Telvanta's assassin school just after you were elevated to Baronetess."
[16:35] <Lucie> "Yes, that's right. I was thinking of keeping a journal, you see? How much we lose of our daily lives when we don't record it day to day for posterity. Can you recall me being ill recently, for example?"
[16:36] <@Ebiris> "My Lady has always been in rude health, if I may be so observant," the maid smiles benignly at Lucie. "I daresay I have never even heard you cough, Mistress."
[16:39] <Lucie> "Really? Then it's no wonder I can't remember. Er. Have we had any callers recently? Are any of my regular friends or associates scheduled to visit? What of my mother? I'm sure she must be well. No doubt I inherited my robust health from her."
[16:43] <@Ebiris> "You have morning tea with Lady Kellani tomorrow, and I believe you intended to speak with High Priestess Janais in the afternoon about the crypt hauntings they've had trouble exorcising... oh, and Lord Vanderboren invited you to dinner at his mansion... I believe they're hunting for matches for their son. Ah... and of course your mother is available at your convenience," the maid looks down.
[16:49] <Lucie> "Well," Lucie looks out over the city. "I must be the most satisfied woman in the city then, shouldn't I?" Having all of these things without remembering how she acquired them just leaves a hollow pit in her stomach, though. It's hard not to want to shake more answers out of the girl: how did I get here? What do I have to do *when I get back* to bring this about? Accepting it as reality
[16:49] <Lucie> doesn't seem possible for more than a few seconds.
[16:54] <@Ebiris> The maid hums pleasantly in reply, finishing up with the tea set and standing dutifully nearby while Lucie luxuriates in wealth and ruminates on her situation.
[17:00] * Lucie sighs and sits up. "I wonder if that witch is trying to send me some facile message," she mutters. "And how long this lasts." She looks out the window, looks around her mansion, shrugs. If one's trapped in a dreamworld for who knows how long, she may as well do something to pass the time. "Come along, then," she says to the maid. "Attend to me in the bath."
[17:03] <@Ebiris> "Of course, Mistress," the maid chirps, leading the way to a gleaming suite of polished white marble and silver-filigreed mirrors, the huge tub big enough to swim in and steaming with scented oils. She helps Lucie out of her clothes with practiced efficiency before stripping herself - she's a pretty young blonde thing, slimmer than Lucie but appealingly tight and trim. Guiding Lucie into the bath, she gets in behind her mistress and sets to work dilligently scrubbing and soaping all over!