Session 93: The Tongue Did Not Stick

General Summary

The party was gathered during the interval at the dance. Aisling spoke to Illevaere about Blue having mentioned that Illevaere had stolen one of the Starborn Lady's ribbons. Illevaere denied the accusation, so far as implying that Aisling was just looking to stir up trouble--a feigned opposition to help spread the idea that Illevaere and Aisling were not friendly with one another.   Bjørn approached Levi, telling him that he was talking to the members of the Council of Predators and the idea that it seemed as if many of the Courts were looking to have mortal representatives in the upcoming competitions. He said that it appeared as if a number of the competitions would be greatly aided with the use of opposable thumbs. Bjørn asked Levi if he would consider championing their Court--though he clarified that this was not a formal offer, they would speak to Mac Tíre before extending a full offer. Levi stated that he would consider the offer and Bjørn invited him to their villa to discuss it later.   Levi then went to tell Bolvaic that Caelum Thunderstrike had invited the pair to his Court to fight one another to see who would champion his Court. Both Bolvaic and Levi seemed to be more interested in having a sparring match more than the prize.   Levi and Bolvaic were then met with the Fractured Princess who thanked the pair of them for offering to assist in protecting her dollies. As a gesture of thanks, the Fractured Princess gave Bolvaic her doll, Mister Plummetfalls Oopsie Horns. It was a red burlap plush doll crafted to appear as a Tiefling, but only partially stuffed to make it look flattened out. The doll had X's for eyes and was holding a small book that simply read "Book" on the cover. The doll looked like it was meant to represent Malthus Normal. The Princess then told Bolvaic that he looked like he should hug him and hold him close, though Bolvaic was skeptical, but said he would keep it on his person.   She then offered Levi a ragdoll with it's "mouth" stitched closed with a different color thread. There appeared to be many holes near the mouth implying many previous stitchings. The Princess then told Levi that the doll was Miss Stitchmouth Slumbers and she explained that the doll would sit on her bed and sing her lullabies at night until she fell asleep. But then the lullabies got all wrong and were filled with bad and mean words, so she stitched up her mouth so she wouldn't sing anymore. The Princess warned Levi that the doll keeps taking the stitching off, so she has to keep sewing it closed again.   When Levi seemed unsettled by the doll, the Princess offered him Miss Mabel-Too-Many-Teeth instead if he preferred. She said it was a doll that when she was littler and lost a baby tooth, she put it in the doll where the stuffing was meant to go. But she kept losing more and more and more and more baby teeth and now the doll is bursting at the seems.   Levi opted to take Miss Stitchmouth Slumbers.   The Princess then addressed the full party, saying that since everyone was talking about champions, she didn't want to be left out, so she made one--though Mirror Moppet helped. She said that her name was Aisling Hollowthorne. She said that she looked just like Aisling, but there were some tiny differences. Hollowthorne doesn't blink unless she's thinking about drowning and she doesn't have bones. Though the Princess admitted that she might have bones, but she hadn't cut her open to look inside yet. She said that Hollowthorne was not finished yet and that she still needed to give her a shadow, a heartbeat that laughs, and a memory that Aisling didn't want anymore. The Princess then asked Aisling if she had a memory that she would like to give Hollowthorne, but Aisling said that she wouldn't mind forgetting this conversation, but then refused the asking to give a memory.   The Princess reassured Aisling that she isn't a replacement, unless they need one. But she wanted to understand Aisling and sometimes to understand something you have to break it open and make it again.   Even though she was finished yet, the Princess asked if they wanted to see her. Reluctantly, Aisling agreed and a blonde half-elven woman entered with a cartwheel, then backflips, ending right before the party and gave a cheer:   "Give me an A!
Give me an I!
Give me a S–L–I–N–G!
What’s that spell?
Aisling!

She’s the sun, she’s the steel,
Because she is REAL!
‘Cept I’m new, but I feel,
I’m even realer-than-real!
She’s got grace, but I’ve got GUTS!
We won’t know what’s inside her ‘til we open her up!

I flip, I twirl, I bash, I STING!
I’m the Princess’s favorite thing!
Aisling Hawthorne, watch your back–
‘Cause Hollowthorne’s here and I don’t crack!

Ready? Okay!
Mirror-sister, time to play!
One of us will go away—
Hope it’s you, hope it’s you!
Hope it’s youuuuuuuuuuuuuu!”

Hollowthorne ended the cheer in a split, shaking pom poms over her head. The Princess clapped and asked, "Isn't Almost Aisling just the bestest?" She then said that she asked her if she wanted to wear Aisling's face forever and she said "only if it fits" and the Princess thought that was the sweetest thing she's ever heard.   Illevaere interceded and told the Princess that Tigs used to be Not-Someone-Else and that maybe Almost Aisling could learn from him. The Princess liked this idea and left to find Tigs to get him and Almost Aisling to dance together.   As this was happening, Bolvaic felt a hand in his pocket, trying to grab something, though there was no hand felt outside of his pocket. However, Bolvaic spied The Other One with a hand deep in his tweed blazer jacket, removing his hand from it just as the hand left Bolvaic's pocket. Bolvaic approached him and found that The Other One's right jacket pocket linked itself to other pockets in the vicinity, the left pocket seemed to have a large area like a bag of holding would. He told Bolvaic that he was given the jacket by the Goblin King and told to see if he could find anything interesting, as well as anything the could be used as blackmail. He showed Bolvaic some of his bounty, which included a dried mouse skull with threads of fungus through its eye sockets, a hand drawn illustration of a humanoid with arrows pointing to several locations and the map titled "Map of Erogenous Zones", and paper that seemed unwritten upon, folded and sealed with the wax seal of the Court of Yestermorrow. Bolvaic suggested that Dökkálfar would have something interesting in her pockets and more the Other One to check it out. Since he could not read, he said he was going to talk to Dan first to deciper some of what he got, then would find Dökkálfar.   Aisling received the gloves she requested from Violet Faeheart and asked her to pin her hair up in a bun before heading over to the Barbed Countess as the fourth dance set had begun.   As Aisling met with the Barbed Countess, she offered her the Thorned Bracelet. Aisling took it and placed it within her bun of hair--having accepted that she would wear it, but not saying where. Aisling caught a hint of the Barbed Countess realizing that she had underestimated Aisling, though she was uncertain if that was a consideration that was ultimately good or bad for her. As they danced, the Countess brought up that one of Aisling's companions asked her to dance, but she refused him and she asked how she ended up with such a lot, seeming to place Aisling in much higher regard than her companions. Aisling downplayed her joining, implying that the group was thrust upon her and she was not overly pleased with the grouping.   The Countess then mentioned her new Thorned Knight and that he had something in common with her, he too had sworn an Oath, though not to Glory, or Crown, or Devotion, but rather to Vengeance. She explained that his Oath of Vengeance is directed toward those who have wronged her Court, though did not wish to "gossip" about the specific people that might be included. She did remind Aisling to come to her villa, saying that her hair is so lovely when it is down, and it would be a shame if her thorned bracelet remained in her hair for too long.   Bolvaic and Dhó joined the dancefloor. Dhó admitted to Bolvaic that he had created a stir within her Court--scoring a dance with the Ashen Lady and sending Smolder pouting. She told him that she has noticed both his and Aralmeni Caskhood's dances with members of Svartálfheim. She confided in him that Svartálfheim has discovered a new magic called the Winter's Flame. It is a fire that burns cold. She explained how it was an abomination to natural fire, but it was also an abomination to the fey. Currently, to craft a weapon of cold-wrought iron, it is a lengthy and difficult process that produces weapons, that while deadly to the fey, are weak and prone to breaking. However, with forges lit by the Winter's Flame, armies could be armed with cold-wrought iron. They could be armored in armor that would resist fey magic. They could create an army that is anathema to the fey. Dhó tells Bolvaic that she wants him or Aralmeni to steal some of the Winter's Flame so that they can study it and undo it. She warns him that it should be kept quiet. If the Seelie were to hear of it, it would be war. If Mab were to discover it, she would claim it as her own and use it to advance winter. There would be no Autumn, no Spring, no Summer. No heat from a bonfire. They Feywild would become a place of winter and nothing more. Bolvaic agrees to talk to Aralmeni about this and that the two of them should head to the villa of the Court of Cinder and Ashes where they can discuss this further.   Minet Reed joins Ilbryen to dance. Ilbryen notices a sudden flicker of echoes around him and as they coalesce to a singular form, he explains to them that he is finished his attempts at seduction, having exhausted most of his methods and "undoing them" by going back in time. Ilbryen had issues with consent to alter their timeline, though Minet seemed unaware of this being an issue with consent. Ultimately, Minet speaks to Ilbryen of an exchange. He invites them to come to the villa of the Court of Yestermorrow. He says he will take them to the libraries of Emone, show them the past, present, future, as well as the potenial of things that did not happen. He tells them that he will show them the strength and power of chronomancy and will let them read a book that has never been written. In exchange, he says, he will ask that they become friends and that he will explore that magic with them. Ilbryen agrees to the offer and Minet says that he will limit his "undoings" around them. However, during their dance, Ilbryen sees an echo of Minet tripping during the waltz and undoing it to appear smoother and less embarrassing.   Illevaere takes to the dancefloor with Festerbloom. She is happy to be on the dancefloor, saying that she has been focused on readying their dance, which she states will be markedly different than this one. She says that the goal is to make an impression, though she believes that few will truly appreciate it, though Illevaere, she believes, will. She then talked to Illevaere about the Fractured Princess, saying that she has seen her take an interest in the party. Illevaere admits that they find her frustrating in the sense that she speaks in circles and that they are unsure if she is truly mad or feigning madness. Festerbloom says that she is interested in the Princess because she believes that madness is just a brain that has succumb to a blight, and she is interested in her because if her brain in blighted, then every thought, every word, every action that the Princess takes is born of blight. She believes that it means that the Princess might know more about the truth of her Court than many others here because of this. Illevaere states that they will consider their future interactions with the Princess through this lens, and Festerbloom agrees to speak with Illevaere after she has gained audience to share her insights. Illevaere suggests that later in Festival, she would like to invite Festerbloom and some others to enjoy a ceremony of tea and drugs. Festerbloom accepts the invitation, but says that it must be after their event.   Levi takes to the dancefloor with the Fractured Princess. She begins to lead Levi along a scene of her stating, "My, what big hands you have, Mister Levi!" leading all the way to stating "My, what big teeth you have, Mister Levi!" Levi responds with "The better to eat you with!", though the Princess was expecting a much more visceral description of his felling a deer, she is content with his ending to the story as well. She tells him that she likes him, but he feels too real and that she doesn't trust real things. They always end. Make-believe lasts forever and she says that Levi should be make-believe instead. She then thanks him again for him and Bolvaic agreeing to help her dollies. She tells him that the monster scaring her dollies is the Still-One. Her dolls don't like him and he undoes their stitching. He says quiet things with no words, and she tried to teach him the skipping song, but he wouldn't skip, not even once. She says the only game he'll play is unpretend, but there are too many rules to that game and it's no fun. Levi suggests that perhaps the Still-One didn't skip because he didn't have legs--a consideration that the Princess hadn't made.   The fifth set of dances began as Aurielle Sunweaver approached Aisling to ensure that she had a partner, and Aisling said that she had considered asking someone. She went to find Easóg and asked her to dance. Easóg said that she had never been dancing before, but Aisling offered her arm to Easóg to roost upon as Aisling danced. This pleased her quite a bit to be in her first dance. Aisling got the impression that Easóg's time on the dancefloor was an intentional means to overhear conversations as she was often overlooked. She mentioned their offer to Levi to be a champion, saying that Bjørn was one of The Great Bear's children and Levi was the grandchild of a grandchild of The Great Bear. She said that she sees the feral predator in him and that appeals to their group. She tells her that they will have to talk to Mac Tíre first before making a formal offer, though the fact that Levi and the others helped The Wild Hunt annoyed Mac Tíre.   She tells her that Mac Tíre believes that Cerunnos has been absent from their Court for almost two centuries. She tells her that the Wild Hunt forms to hunt their quarry and hunts endlessly until their quarry is brought down. They have been seeking their quarry all of this time, leaving the Court to be ruled by the Council of Predators in his absence. She says that she is undecided if Mac Tíre or Cerunnos should rule the Court. She says that she has insight that Mac Tíre and Bjørn do not have. While she is a predator and very proud of that fact, she is also prey. She must evade hawks and other larger predators, giving her a fuller insight compared to the others on the Council.   Bolvaic does not take a dance partner during the fifth dance. He first checks in with the Other One, who informs him that Dökkálfar doesn't actually have any pockets. Bolvaic then finds a place to watch the dancefloor and spends the entire dance watching and glaring at the Barbed Countess, who notices his eye, but shows no overt reaction to it that Bolvaic sees.   Hyrsam approaches Ilbryen to inform them that this is the dance that they are having. He tells Ilbryen that they have some good ideas, but they don't buck against the status quo enough. Dancing with a goblin makes him happy, and he is then less upset at the overlords above him and it promotes the status quo and not change. Ilbryen states that they do cause change and has had a history of making change. Hyrsam is dismissive, seeming to want full revolution over incremental steps forward. The pair understand one another's motives, but each seem set on their own paths and they end their dance amicably.   Illevaere dances with Gloni. Gloni is fairly open and upfront with Illevaere in regards to knowing why Stormspeaker Era had asked to dance with them. Gloni tells Illevaere that she told Era to dance with them as well as with Festerbloom. This way, she muses, she has been seen dancing with three people who are known to poison, so therefore if anyone from the Court of Storm and Surge were to be taken by a malady, suspicion cannot be placed on a singular person. Also, it means that none of them know if any of the others agreed to help or not, and if they did, they would not know whose aid it was that they used, therefore she, Illevaere, and Festerbloom and wholly and truthfully say if something were to happen that none of them know who lent aid. Illevaere was surprised at the openness and candor, though Gloni said that she pushed Era to speak to her so that she could orchestrate the uncertainty.   Illevaere stated that they were interested in learning more about her rituals to Caena, recalling the different rituals used by the Duergar that they had encountered at the purple worm's corpse. Gloni says that the winter environs of her Court's realm mean that there is not much in the way of plants and vegetation to harvest, so they are more reliant upon venoms taken from other creatures. Gloni invites Illevaere to her villa to teach them more of their rituals.   Levi took the Frost Prince to the dancefloor. He was quiet and aloof at first and it was Levi who needed to break the ice. However, the Frost Prince was still somewhat disinterested until he caught Levi trying to catch the eye of the Iron Swan in order to infuriate her and make her jealous. This piqued his interest a bit and he asked Levi about it. When hearing that the dance was, in part at least, to upset the Iron Swan, he mused that he thought that it was interesting that Levi was more interested in impressing upon the Swan than him. He then went on to explain that he knows that the Iron Swan longs for him, but he feels nothing back. However, he will not deny the Swan her silent longing for him, even though she will not succeed at winning him over.   He spoke about how he used to love, saying that he was madly in love with a mortal woman called Gudrun. He says that he offered her his heart, but she denied him. She told him that he did not love her, but that he wanted to possess her, and she left him with a look of pity. He did not stop her leaving, because he is not made for the chase--he is made to endure. He tells him that love taught him warmth in his heart, but he gave it to her and even though she said she did not want it, it was her and so it was gone now. He said that his love was real, but her absence is realer, but now, in this cold, he is perfect. Unchanging. A monument to what does not melt.   As they spoke further, he explained that the only reason why he is at the Festival at all is because Sneachda urged him to. He agreed and told Levi that he knows of Sneachda's feelings for him as well. But he does not return it, not because she is unworthy, but because he is unmoved. He tells Levi that she waits at the edge of his world, while he sits in the center of hers. She is the storm that never breaks upon him, and he is the mountain that never calls back the echo. He explains to Levi, "I will never touch her with love. But I will never cast her from my side. She is my shield. And I am her ruin. She loves me in silence. And I honor her, by letting that silence remain." He tells Levi that he too can love him, but he will not return it. Levi tells him that while he thinks that the Frost Prince is pretty, his main motivation was to agitate the Iron Swan. The Frost Prince nodded to him and said, "Then let me aid you in your endeavor" and he leaned in and kisses Levi openly, leaving Levi blushing as the waltz turned to the contra and they left their more intimate dance. Levi saw that the Iron Swan was watching and was seething, though trying to hide it. He also saw Sneachda had noticed, but realized that she knows the Prince well enough to know that it was not an act of love or passion, but was more worried about what caused the kiss to occur.