10. Ivy and the Goblin Market

[Corwin]

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[15:14] <Kallen> When she returns to the corridors she started out from, Ivy finds that she can hear the sound of muffled traffic from just over the other side of the spiky walls through which she ventures. The ground is a little less slick- though occasionally, a spray of water lashes out from the icy road just behind or in front of her, though she just managed to avoid getting hit by any drops.
[15:16] <Ivy> It would be disappointing to leave just yet without achieving her goals, although surviving the night with only a few scrapes and bruises should qualify as the most important achievement, here. Ivy continues down the icy road for now, still not having given up on finding her sanctuary somewhere in the hedge.
[15:16] <Kallen> The hedge hasn't usually felt this oppressive. The occasional icy wind only serves to remind her of the current disdain the Mountain King holds for her. The overall structure appears to be the same, however- she finds herself returning to the crossroads, the same sign still in evidence. However-
[15:17] <Kallen> -the road from which she came no longer appears to be blocked, instead leading off to some misty unknown.
[15:18] <Ivy> The misty unknown it is, for now!
[15:20] <Kallen> Ivy can almost taste the smog. The ferns enshrouding the buildings seem to have let up a little; she can see washing lines strung up from wall to all, holding odd shirts with three arms, or pants with one leg shorter than the other. With a clatter, what seems to be wooden panel slides away- (more)
[15:21] <Kallen> -from the somewhere above, and someone leans out, upending a large pot. Crystal-clear water spills out, splashing across the cobblestone road and sweeping it clean of grime and dirt.
[15:25] <Ivy> A mockery of civilization, somehow more repellent due to how realistic it feels. With the more natural setting, it was possible to pretend that it had nothing to do with her world, but here.... Cutting past such thoughts, Ivy proceeds down the cobblestone road.
[15:28] <Kallen> The wooden panel slides shut, whoever was inside paying scant attention to the passing Changeling. Ahead, Ivy can see the road leads into some sort of square. A few carts and tents seem to have been set up, and she can hear the muted sounds of conversation, as well as a slight patter of rainfall.
[15:29] <Ivy> It's not like she would be attacked on sight. Telling herself that, Ivy walks down the street of this alien place as if she belongs there. Not with enough confidence as if to own it, and thus draw attention to herself, but without the hesitance of outsiders.
[15:32] <Kallen> As Ivy enters the square, she feels eyes immediately latch onto her with purposeful intent! "A customer! Want to buy a used itch?!" bawls a thin, reedy voice- from one of the colourful tents, just inside the rickety market- she can't quite see who's speaking. "How 'bout a pet Gobbler? Great icebreakers, I tell you what!" (More)
[15:34] <Kallen> The square is not enormously large, about the size of half a soccer field. It does contain rows of tents and shelving, however, but seems sparesly populated. Few patrons seem present; a strange creature with an enormously long neck, wearing a bowler hat, is engaged in a low conversation with a short, square, big-eared fellow wearing magisterial robes and carrying a small scepter.
[15:37] * Ivy pretends to browse the stalls casually, the act perfected from those who come into her own shop only to admire her flowers but never to purchase anything. Through it all, she attempts to get a measure of this place; perhaps here she would discover what she seeks.
[15:37] <Ivy> roll 4d10
[15:37] * Hatbot --> "Ivy rolls 4d10 and gets 19." [4d10=4, 7, 6, 2]
[15:39] <Kallen> It is a goblin market, she notes, where the strange denizens of the Hedge meet to trade and chat. Few deal in ordinary goods, and none charge an ordinary price. She passes by one shop, owned by what appears to be a man-sized vulture wearing a robe of skins- he stands vigil over cages of strange beasts; a snake with a head on each end, a hairless dog with hooks for feet... (More)
[15:41] <Kallen> An apparently human woman, marked only by a tattoo on her forehead and the renaissance-era dress she wears has a rack of small vials, with labels like 'heartbreak', 'aspiration', 'indecision'. There is a tiny elf with an ugly face, with hammers for hands- he appears to deal in hilts, presumably for blades. A heavily veiled figure looms over several boxes of ripe-looking fruit-
[15:41] <Kallen> -Fyrbloats amongst them, Ivy notes.
[15:42] <Kallen> It is likely that she can find all sorts of things here, and the vendors would only be too happy to introduce her to the perculiarities of their wares. Naturally, they would know the hedge better than anyone...
[15:46] <Ivy> The human-seeming woman is the one Ivy chooses to approach, her wares giving Ivy hope that she might know that which she seeks. "I have been told," she speaks, having drawn closer, "that it is impossible to buy security without selling freedom." Her eyes follow the labeled vials leisurely. "And yet, I still wonder. Can security be found without such compromise?"
[15:50] <Kallen> 'Compassion'... 'Exhiliration'... 'Murderous'... "A compromise? My dear, if you live in fear of something, how can you truly be free?" The woman's mouth didn't move at all during her speech, but her eyes are fixed on Ivy. "There is no need to compromise."
[15:52] * Ivy dips her head slightly in a nod, her tresses dancing about her. "That's what I think as well. The question becomes, then, how does one put a price of safety?"
[15:59] <Kallen> The woman is silent for a moment. "Your fears reflect your hopes," she intones. "What is of equal value to either can buy safety, though only if both are real."
[16:04] <Ivy> "My fears, you say? They are what would be needed, since my hopes are what spurs me on. They are real enough, though I wonder... would not giving another this control over them take away the same security I would buy with those fears?"
[16:06] <Kallen> "Would it? Not only would be secure, but ignorant of the danger that no longer threatens you. Your mind, at ease," she responds. "Would you buy this safety, the kind shared by children?"
[16:09] * Ivy frowns. "It is a different safety than what I seek, this kind. Take a Spinegott, for one. If you are safe from it, but no longer fear it, then you cannot possibly help protect another it targets. If, however, you have a measure of temporary safety to take refuge in as it passes, you could continue to work towards your hopes in earnest."
[16:12] <Kallen> "Do not speak that name! It knows and may yet come!"
[16:13] <Ivy> "By your reaction, I take it that you have nothing that can prove useful against it?"
[16:17] <Kallen> "It trails one through their dreams, finds them before their wakeful moments," she replies. "One who never dreams- and is not dreamed of- cannot be found. Is that a price you would wish to pay?"
[16:22] <Ivy> "What about diverting it?"
[16:24] <Kallen> "If we are to speak more of this, you must buy," she replies, gesturing to the range of bottled feelings and emotions upon the shelf. "A cherished memory, a vibrant recollection, a gripping thought- that is the currency."
[16:26] * Ivy frowns once more, redirecting her attention to the vials. "What about a memory for a memory?" she asks, searching for a label that deal with the subject.
[16:27] <Kallen> "That is suitable. All these are distilled from memories," she replies. "What do you seek?"
[16:28] <Ivy> "A memory I lost. Or gave away, perhaps. But I can't hide from it any longer." Ivy pauses. "If I were to rediscover it, I would trade another for it."
[16:31] <Kallen> "If it is given away, it would be hard to find once more. Many times could it have been bought and sold," she replies, still with her mouth completely closed. "What do you know of it? Perhaps it can be found."
[16:33] <Ivy> "What I know? That I don't remember it, beyond a fuzzy recollection, but that it is related to our previous topic. It stands to reason that it contains the cause for my greatest fear, and it bothers me considerably to face such odds without even truly knowing why."
[16:35] <Kallen> "Then you would seek terror, the greatest terror that one would yearn to forget," she replies. "I know not if you keep it deep within yourself, or you gave it away. But I have fear of that magnitude in stock. Would you buy?"
[16:37] <Ivy> "I am interested in making that purchase, and in opening the way for that other discussion," Ivy agrees. "To be certain, if that is possible, I would learn what my forgotten memory contains, or nothing at all? There would be no false leads?"
[16:39] <Kallen> "The terror was from another. Shadows of their recollection may become yours, yet you would know them to be false. It may bring out a forgotten memory- it may not. I cannot guarantee, only suggest."
[16:40] * Ivy nods. "To counter and equal fear, would a heroic memory suffice? I can't promise it's quite as great, although."
[16:40] <Kallen> "
[16:40] <Kallen> "Heroism? Do you think yourself a hero? Heh... it would do."
[16:42] * Ivy shrugs noncommittally. "Very well, then. It appears we are in agreement. Once I pay my end of this bargain, what of the memory would remain with me? Would the gist of it survive?"
[16:43] * Ivy pauses, before adding, "For example, I remember talking to others about it. Would this knowledge remain?"
[16:44] <Kallen> "It would be gone, as would the associations. The tree must be snapped closed," she responds. "Come, tell me of it." Her lips part, slightly- but only a millimeter.
[16:48] <Ivy> This is a terrible idea. Assosiations, if Ivy is misunderstanding, could extend so far-- but in the end, there is one thing that trumps all else. If Ivy can't save Karen, nothing else she ever does matters. If anything comes before that obsession to obstruct it, then it must be pruned. Her hesitation shares this very fate. Camly, Ivy recollects charging into an operations theater, unarmed, faced off with a murderous gunman; surviving, even triumphing, as all others flee, cower or are gunned down. A moment of bravery, drawn forth by her casual arrogance and sense of superiority.
[16:51] <Kallen> As Ivy begins to speak, the woman's mouth seems to grow wider, ever wider. Her gazes focuses on it; it seems to be moving in time to her speech, and-
[16:52] <Kallen> Ivy finds herself standing in front of a stall, facing a woman wearing the most ancient-looking period dress she could imagine. She's holding a vial to her lips, and spitting into it; a vibrant, red fluid that emits a little steam. She quickly corks it and hides it in with the rest of her stock, a wide range of capsules-
[16:52] <Kallen> -apparently labelled by various fanciful emotions.
[16:53] * Ivy extends a delicate hand, expecting her vial to be placed in it rather than rudely search through the woman's stock.
[16:55] <Kallen> "Do you remember why you came here?" she asks, closing her mouth.
[16:57] <Ivy> "I think my reason for coming her has changed, but I remember a trade was made all the same. There is an important memory that I must unlock, above all else. It is as important as air or dreams."
[16:58] <Kallen> "Just so. Then take this, and try to learn," she replies, handing a small vial of a murky, black, foul-looking liquid that sends a shiver through Ivy's spine through the simple act of looking upon it.
[16:59] <Kallen> "Best to use it privately," she adds, quietly. "With a good friend close by."
[17:02] <Ivy> "I understand. And the rest? I wanted... I want." She shakes her head. "My reasons are immaterial. If that thing is after me and another, and it is after our blood, just how can our fate be averted? I'm not sure why, but a fate of just hiding eternally feels wrong."
[17:05] <Kallen> "It is not something that can be fought, not with arms. It is as much a part of the world as anything, a force that binds cowardly criminals, the vengeful, revolutionaries- the weak who must have violence done on their behalf. The contract is made, a vision of those to die is formed. But if..." (More)
[17:07] <Kallen> She stops for a moment, and a long pause drips between them.
[17:07] <Ivy> "But if...?" Ivy obliges her.
[17:13] <Kallen> "The contract is based on the signatories mind. The one they wish dead is envisioned. It is from that it draws it's target. Should that wish be buried, it is not yet enough to dissuade the Spinegott. It must be replaced."
[17:14] <Ivy> "In a second trade with you, say?"
[17:14] <Kallen> "It is not so easy," she admits. "These memories- you would know them to be false. They are not truly meant to be drunk, but used for other creations. It would require something more..."
[17:15] <Kallen> "...but those kind, the ones who can twist a mind- they are cruel and rapacious," she adds, with a grimace. "It is for the brave to deal with them, and the dead."
[17:16] <Ivy> "What if the person bearing the wish were to die?"
[17:18] <Kallen> "That is not enough. The contract is still signed. It is the definitions that must change. Someone must die."
[17:21] * Ivy understands now, she thinks. "And what of those cruel enough to twist the wish? How should I appeal to them, and what might the price be?"
[17:23] <Kallen> The woman seems to shudder. "They ask for switches of life themselves. Go where blood gathers, and they will be there."
[17:25] <Ivy> "If there is no other way, then...." Ivy trails off, as she has already accepted the possibility. The likelihood, even, perhaps. "And if I were to seek shelter?" she asks suddenly. "Even briefly? Where should I turn to then?"
[17:27] <Kallen> "Make a home here," she suggests. "This is neutral ground. There are many doors still unused. Abide by the contract- lead no others here, lead nobody out, come alone, leave alone."
[17:29] * Ivy nods. "I will abide by it."
[17:29] <Kallen> "Find a home and make it yours," she repeats. "Yours and yours alone." She gestures the the walls, which seem to tower to impossible heights; they are indeed covered with doors, sliding panels, aluminum meshes, all sorts of coverings...
[17:33] * Ivy parts from the other woman with another nod, searching for an unused entrance to claim for herself. She would prefer iron and the meaning it carries, but in its absense, she searches for an entrance of living flora that would move aside for her and just for her.
[17:34] <Kallen> There's nothing such present- but perhaps she could bring plants here. A wooden door, framed with empty lantern-holders and barred with a steel lattice... it is just a crack open, almost inviting.
[17:35] <Ivy> Opening it further, she peers inside to ensure that the spot is indeed free for her to use.
[17:36] <Kallen> It is- though it's rather cramped, Ivy finds, but she could at least lie down in here, small as it is. There's not much room to keep anything but herself, and what she's willing to lie on- or hold.
[17:43] <Ivy> It would be enough for her needs; she never really searched for more than a temporary respite. She closes the door behind her, takes a deep breath, and then opens it once more. With her safe haven finally within grasp, Ivy can now return to her true home. She still has business to conclude there, and an exit from a neutral ground such as this can't be too far away.
[17:46] <Kallen> There are many paths away from here, but the sound of traffic is too loud for Ivy to miss it. A misty path takes her to a framed mirror that sits incongruously in the wall; the other side holds a vision of Main Street, comfortable banal.
[17:47] <Ivy> One moment she is here, and another she leaves the Hedge for the real world.
[17:48] <Kallen> Ivy emerges from a mirror... and immediately walks into a glass window, mere inches away!
[17:49] * Ivy holds her forehead, wincing. That behavior is entirely unseemly of someone such as she.
[17:51] <Kallen> It doesn't seem as though the shop she's occupying is open; by all appearances, it's a kind of antique shop.
[17:54] <Ivy> Ignoble as it is, she would have to hide her presence until such a time the shop opens. The toilet, perhaps, if the establishment has one? Whatever might be suited to hide her from sight until the proprietor arrives and opens the shop. In the meantime, she can check her cell for messages from Charlie, Phi or the Spring Court.
[17:56] <Kallen> It looks as though she can open the door from the inside without a problem, luckily.
[17:56] <Ivy> Curious. But maybe one of the goblins owns the shop? Just the same, Ivy makes good on her escape, deciding to check her messages on the way.
[17:57] <Kallen> At present, it seems that Ivy lacks any messages.
[17:58] <Ivy> Home, then. She needs to get home and make preparations for drinking her vial of terrible fear.
[18:00] <Kallen> Perhaps Ivy put away her phone too soon- it beeps with a message shortly after she begins making her way back! It appears to be Ted- sick with worry, he has sent a message asking where she is, if he should open the shop this morning...
[18:01] * Ivy decides to call him back, rather than waste time with sending messages back and forth.
[18:04] <Kallen> "Miss Morgan!" she can hear the relief in his voice- "Are you alright? You weren't here, and I couldn't get you last night, so..."
[18:05] <Ivy> "I had to take a certain detour," Ivy responds calmly, "through a place where phones don't work. For a certain definition of alright, I suppose I find myself suitable. I don't know yet whether we would be opening this morning, but I would like to have you there as soon as you can make it. Would that be possible?"
[18:07] <Kallen> "Uh, yes, of course, certainly... did something happen?"
[18:07] <Ivy> "Yes. We should not really talk over the phone, so I will see you soon?"
[18:08] <Kallen> "Okay!"
[18:08] * Ivy hits end and pockets her phone, proceeding home.
[18:15] <Kallen> Ted is not quite there when Ivy arrives, quite early in the morning. The shop seems a little lonely, with few people on the busy streets outside. The flowers seem to be just shy from wilting; perhaps the recent chill has been too much for them...
[18:17] <Ivy> If nothing else, the flowers serve as an all-too-authenthic metaphor for her life at present. Ivy will ensure that they receive the best treatment to aid them along, and busies herself with that while waiting on Ted. She is not at a stage where she would give up on those flowers just yet.
[18:29] <Kallen> Ted arrives about half an hour later. "Ah, sorry, I got held up on the bus," he explains, rubbing a hand through his hair.
[18:31] <Ivy> "Understandable," Ivy agrees, waving him in. "So, to cut straight to the chase, just what do you know about me, Ted? And what is it that you've always wanted to know and were afraid to ask?"
[18:40] <Kallen> "I.. well," he replies, uncomfortably. "You're some kind of witch, right? I mean, I always wanted to know if everything I used to see was, well, you know. Real... and if those.. things.. were really there. You know. Except now I can't see them. Nobody can see them."
[18:42] <Ivy> "In a sense," Ivy muses, tilting her head slightly. "That world is often better left unseen, because when you gaze upon something too long, you might find it gazing back."
[18:47] <Kallen> "I just wanted to- be able to function. Just... I was so scared of you," he adds, quietly. "I still am. I mean..."
[18:50] <Ivy> "Ah. That is a shame. I have come to see you as a precious ally, I'll have you know," Ivy says in that same calmness she tends to employ. "I was not born a... witch, as you say. In fact, I believe I was quite the cute, ordinary girl, if I might say so myself. But it just so happens that one of those things that exist outside of the world as most see it abducted me. I escaped, eventually, yes... but not unchanged. It is impossible to return as you were, so we make do as we are. Do you understand, so far?"
[18:51] <Kallen> "Could you- see things, too? I mean, you do now, right?"
[18:52] <Ivy> "As a result of becoming a thing, I was made able to see them, yes," Ivy responds bluntly. "But if you're asking about before... well, that does not quite fit the definition of ordinary, now does it?"
[18:52] <Kallen> "I did wonder. If everyone saw things like I did, and just.. didn't let it bother them."
[18:55] <Ivy> "No, that is very unlikely. An ability like yours is fairly rare, all things considered. But why am I choosing now to speak of it?" Ivy makes sure to lock the door, and proceeds towards her small office in the back, where she takes a seat behind the sole desk in the room and begins to write a letter. "You might say I am in a spot of trouble. Our contract states that I will shield you unto death, as you recall? It would trouble me greatly if you found yourself burdened with that power once more rather suddenly."
[18:58] <Kallen> Ted slumps. "Those things are after you again?" he asks, wondering aloud.
[19:01] <Ivy> "The truth is...." Ivy trails off, and peers at Ted, pausing in her writing. "I am being unfair. If you would prefer to know as little as possible, I would not be quite so selfish." For a long time in a while, she finds herself genuinely hopeful that she could confide in somehow, however.
[19:02] <Kallen> "No, I mean- it's because of you that I don't need to see everything bad, right?" he replies, shuddering. "It's not fair if I don't at least listen. The shadows can't actually hurt me if I don't see them, right?"
[19:09] <Ivy> "The chances of them harming you even if you do see them are slim. In particular, try to avoid giving off the impression that you see anything, and their interest in you would lessen," Ivy instructs him. "As for me... those things were always after me, really, but it was last night that the protection granted me was removed. I took refuge in a dangerous place, and there are measures I am taking to survive, but... well, nothing in life is certain. On top of that, two very powerful beings have reason to wish me ill, I believe." She laughs uncharacteristically curtly. "Both situations of my own making, it seems. Ted, there is something very important that I've never shared with another soul. You see, that place I escaped from, that terrible place... I don't remember much. But it breaks you. There is a chance that, to escape, I..." She pauses. "I didn't think it would be so difficult. How do you talk about selling your family for freedom? I can't even recall what might have caused it, but if I did something so terrible...." Ivy shakes her head, gently pushing a stray lock of her hair behind her ear afterwards. "I purchased something to help me remember those terrible times. Even if it works, it would be bad. But I couldn't think of anyone else to turn to for help."
[19:12] <Kallen> Ted seems slightly lost, but sympathetic, nonetheless; Ivy feels a deep wave of sorrow that seems to surround him, mingling with desire and fear. "I don't- I don't really understand," he confesses. "It's... Miss Morgan, you went through something terrible, right? Just like me. And it.. changes you. It makes you contemplate doing things-" He laughs, shakily. (More)
[19:12] <Kallen> "I think I would've jumped off a bridge or something, or got a gun and started- I mean, it's different, but basically..."
[19:15] <Ivy> "In my case," Ivy says sadly, "even if I die, the person I love won't be spared. It's not that easy." She finishes her letter, and gets an envelope, sealing it within. "Knowing if I'm responsible, and what the exact phrasing of my wish was, if so... that is the only way I can still turn things around. That's how I feel." She slides the envelope to Ted across the desk. "This is a little insurance, just for you. I would appreciate it if you did not open it until and unless your special sight returned, or you found yourself in danger. Alright?"
[19:16] <Kallen> "Is there anything I can do?" he asks, staring at the letter for a moment.
[19:18] <Ivy> "I was warned that this contains a terrible fear that might jog my memories," Ivy says, withdrawing her purchased vial. "I have never taken drugs or been in withdrawal, but I must assume it is at least as bad. If you could just be there for me, and stop me if I am not myself and trying to leave, perhaps?"
[19:20] <Kallen> "Does it make you see things?"
[19:21] <Ivy> "I will know they are not real. But does that truly matter? And if my memories are still there, then...." Ivy sighs. "Well, then. I shouldn't delay. Wish me luck, if you will?" Steeling herself, she brings the vial to her lips.

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