Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588
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Post by Ivory on Jan 12, 2021 18:28:36 GMT -8
The call had come soon after Ivory had been released from the hospital. Rowan wanted a meeting.
Through hoarse whispers the Pale Dragon had relayed a time a place, with the latter being the home the Darkling was already familiar with. He was called again to the Dragon's abode.
As before, the gate laid open and, while the door remained shut, the Pale Dragon awaited his arrival.
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Post by Rowan on Jan 13, 2021 13:02:42 GMT -8
The second time around, Rowan simply went for the door. He gait betrayed anticipation, but it wasn't the anticipation of Christmas gifts. It was the anticipation of the green mile. He had flowers and a box of chocolate, because his mother once said that girls like these things.
He had news to share, apologies to make. He rang bell like a man putting on his own noose.
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Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588
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Post by Ivory on Jan 13, 2021 15:35:36 GMT -8
Anthony had stepped out for a few hours, but Ivory could move around, albeit still healing from her... near death.
Thus, it took time to reach the door, much longer than before, but, eventually, the Pale Dragon succeeded and opened the door. There was a slight hunch to her posture, a relfexive act of discomfort of a body still healing from being internally ravaged. Her expression was somewhat tired, but, upon seeing her company her smile turned warm and her eyes remained as bright as ever. If nothing else, the Fairest was tenacious. A little near-death experience wasn't going to keep her from enjoying the little moments when she could.
"Rowan!" she said, her tone bright, though the voice hoarse. The result of the act Rowan had to do in order to keep her alive.
Perhaps, unexpectedly, the Dragon would move in for a hug, giving the Darkling a squeeze if he allowed it.
"Thank you..."
She let the moment sit for a time before taking a step back and rubbing an errant tear from her face as she cleared her throat. Her smile remained, a mixture of relief and gratitude placed upon it as she looked upon the Darkling.
"Please come in," she said, as she turned to hobble towards the kitchen, "I was just making smoothies. Would you like one?"
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Post by Rowan on Jan 13, 2021 17:13:07 GMT -8
He was surprised at first. Ivory came at him and he figured that she would slap him for bringing her the Rose Water, for getting her almost killed. She didn't. Her arms closed around him with a sense of warmth that, quite frankly, was alien to Rowan at this point. His own hands were full, so they simply hung awkwardly in the air, unsure of what to do in this display of affection. He cleared his throat to chase away the tears that were threatening to overflow.
"Um, yeah, of course." He winced at the sound of her voice. Had he done that? 'Play it cool idiot, play it cool.' Quite to his surprise, he enjoyed the hug, but he would never tell anyone he did. "These are for you," he said, handing her the gifts he had brought.
He followed her into the house, his eyes fixed on how frail Ivory looked. "If it's no trouble. I've never had a smoothie before." He looked around for somewhere to place the flowers. "Is there a vase I can use?"
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Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588
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Post by Ivory on Jan 13, 2021 19:13:26 GMT -8
Ivory took the chocolates with a smile, placing them on the counter.
"That was sweet of you, thank you!" she offered, her tone as bright as her hoarsness would allow. "No trouble at all! This usually makes enough for two anyway..." She gestured vaguely to a blender on the island, within was yogurt, almond milk, bananas, raspberries, and blueberries... with a few squirts of honey for little more sweetness.
As Rowan asked about the vase, the Fairest was already in the box of chocolates, only turning the blender on as an after thought. Taking a piece of dark chocolate the Pale Dragon would toss it into her mouth. She'd give a pleased groan at the taste, but nod to Rowan's question, not being one to open her mouth while chewing. Scooting to the counter, she'd find an old dusty vase behind her knife block made of simple blue glass. Wiping off the dust, she'd fill it a bit with water before placing it in front of the Darkling with a smile. Then, she hobbled back to the cupboards, retrieving two glasses.
Then, smoothies were dispensed, and, with her breathing somewhat labored through her efforts, the Pale Dragon sat down on one of the stools, gesturing to the one beside her as she slid one of the smoothies, with a metal straw of course, in front of the vacant seat.
"Sit," she requested, taking a sip of her own, "Tell me what you think."
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Post by Rowan on Jan 13, 2021 19:38:26 GMT -8
Rowan fished for the plant food packet that came with the flowers. He tore it and poured the contents into the vase. Unpacking the flowers, he used their stems to stir the liquid and finally dropped the plants in. He put it down next to the blender as he took a breath to steady himself for the taste. To his surprise, it tasted good. His face lit up to match what he was thinking.
"This is good. It tastes sweet because of the fruits and a little sour because of the yogourt. It's cold, so it's really nice. I think I like smoothies."
He took a few more sips, enjoying this moment of peace. The light filtered through some distant window, painting an idyllic picture of a calm day. After a moment, he put his glass down, unfinished.
"How are you feeling?" His glow faded a little, and his face took on that icy and inscrutable set he got when he wasn't comfortable showing emotion.
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Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588
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Post by Ivory on Jan 14, 2021 16:23:58 GMT -8
Ivory's smile tugged a little wider as she saw saw Rowan's brighten. Today was already a success. The smoothie had granted the Darkling some comfort. This was good.
"I'm glad you like it," Ivory offered before she, like Rowan settled into the serenity of the moment. A brief moment of peace was always welcome.
At Rowans question and subsequent return to his cold state, the Pale Dragon's warm gaze shift back to Rowan.
"I'll be fine," she said, "I'm expected to fully recover. Mostly just tired and sore. Some pain now and then..."
The Pale Dragon quieted down her expression turning more motherly.
"None of this is your fault, Rowan," she said softly, her tone gentle and reassuring.
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Post by Rowan on Jan 16, 2021 16:57:44 GMT -8
He placed his hands on his knees and looked down. "I was so scared, when you crashed on the bed. I didn't know what to do. If I'd been even a moment late..." he trailed off, a clump forming in his throat. He tried to clear it away and to fight the tears in his eyes. "I felt so powerless."
He clenched his fists, wrestling with his own emotions. He finally managed to look up, his black bottomless eyes misty with guilt. "I'm so sorry Ivory."
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Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588
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Post by Ivory on Jan 17, 2021 13:07:04 GMT -8
Ivory's hand moved to rest on the Darkling's back, rubbing it gently as he began to break down.
"But you weren't, the moment is passed. I am here," she said, trying to console, "And all will be well."
As he looked up Ivory granted him a warm smile.
"Oh, honey... you have nothing to apologize for, I... acted on impulse. I didn't know how to take it and I didn't bother to ask you," she said, her tone soothing, "The fault of this is not yours, but mine... and I am so sorry for making you worry."
Ivory's eyes began to mist over as well, her hoarse voice beginning to crack as latent guilt arose to the surface. What had seeing her in this state done to Rowan? She should have been more careful.
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Post by Rowan on Jan 17, 2021 13:33:07 GMT -8
The dam broke, and all emotions came rushing in like a flood. He moved to hug Ivory again, sobbing into her shoulder. It had been so much - the call to 911, the ride to the hospital, the way he had been dismissed after. Numbness that had overtaken him as his mind went through the shock of what had happened.
"Just don't do it again," he managed to croak out. It was weird, being this vulnerable with someone he'd talked to only a few times. They had had a rocky start, to say the least. Yet somehow it had become more. Ivory knew things that few others knew and in tern she had allowed him to know her better as well. Was that the reciprocity Cinder had told him about?
After a moment, he let her go and wiped his face with the back of his hands. Thee circles under his eyes took an angry lilac hue, his personal version of redness. He cleared his throat a little, trying to compose himself.
"I did manage to find out some things." His voice was calmer now, more professional. This was the business part. "We were right. Spring is involved somehow."
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Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588
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Post by Ivory on Jan 17, 2021 13:49:24 GMT -8
Ivory was surprised by the hug certainly, but the Fairest didn't hesitate, wrapping her arms around the Darkling as he wept.
"I will be more careful, I promise," she whispered, letting Rowan take the moment of comfort and riding it with him until he was ready to continue.
When the hug ended, her fingers rose to clear away the tears upon her face as Rowan composed himself. The Pale Dragon would take the time to return to her smoothie, sipping once again to refresh her ravaged throat.
A solemn look cast upon Ivory's face as he confirmed their suspicions. A sigh sounded, she had hoped it would have been something else, but the signs seemed to be pointing towards the less-clean aspects of her Court.
"Unfortunate," she says, "but my statement stands. I am loyal to my season, Rowan. The machinations of some of it's members cannot expect the same loyalty. Rose Water is... well, I don't know how to put it into words. The high was something else, but the end result is the robbing of Desire, Wrath, Fear, and Sorrow from those among the mundane who overdose."
She clears her throat, the word dump having stressed it. She takes another sip and pauses.
"The end conclusion is the same. The drug should not be in the hands of the unchanged," she states, "If my court is involved we need to find out who leaked the drug to the populace, but... I imagine you've had more time to learn things than I have. What else can you tell me?"
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Post by Rowan on Jan 17, 2021 15:03:49 GMT -8
"When you," he cleared his throat, "overdosed, your body was splitting at the seams with Glamour. So much so that your Mask threatened to explode. That's what Rose Water is - Glamour mixed with chemicals. Whoever cooked this is distributing distilled emotions to the masses."
He took a sip himself to let information sink in. "Here's what I know. Someone is jumping gang lines like a grasshopper to make sure Rose Water hits the street. The warehouse I told you about? The Crips that were hauled up there had stolen weapons from a Summer officer, Sweeney. I don't know if you remember him, but he's in a motley with Eurydice. My person said that she has some sort of important role in Spring?"
He fidgeted with his hair. He wasn't used to sharing this much information. The same had happened with Loki. "I am developing a way to track whoever is making this drug, which is the immediate problem. But it seems to be just the symptom."
Another sip. Rowan was kind of living for all this build up.
"This seems to be shot at Eurydice. Someone in Spring is being naughty," he finally said, repeating Loki's words.
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Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588
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Post by Ivory on Jan 17, 2021 16:03:40 GMT -8
"I won't lie to you, Rowan," she said, "I have never felt something like it before. There was a euphoria. Ecstasy. No pain or worries, just the wave..."
It was difficult to put the high in words.
"Still, whoever did this is tampering with Mankind and threatening our safety," she commented, "This drug should not be. And I will do what I can to help, but... I will admit I expect the retribution for this act to be violent. Strange circumstances draw Hunters and threaten the safety of the Freehold. It's a transgression I cannot allow to slip away, regardless of whether or not I have the political clout to push such things."
Those were her terms. Ivory would help, but she expected her aid to help enact severe punishment against whoever had done this.
"Mmm, so Summer is also investigating?" she mused before pausing at the mention of Eurydice, "Yes... she is the Sage Escort. Do you believe she is involved?"
Ivory would nod to Rowan discussing the developers of the drug.
"I agree, you said before they've found a way to synthesize the drug. Tracking down the current developer isn't addressing the whole problem. We need to find the leak."
Ivory pulls another long sip from her glass.
"Shot at? As in someone is trying to make her look bad?" she asked, Ivory never pretended to be well versed in the criminal underworld, "If so that would make sense... the Sage Escort is a highly competitive position. If it's a Spring behind this, it could be a rival seeking her title."
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Post by Rowan on Jan 17, 2021 16:18:52 GMT -8
"The stolen weapons belonged to the Cartel, and as I understand it that was Eurydice's the one with Influence there. They just so happened to be actually the Arrayer's weapons, who just happened to be in a motley with the Sun Banisher. They were looking out for each other and it crossed Court lines? I don't think Summer is actually investigating the drug."
He took another sip. "I think it's all a plot to unseat her, yes. A Changeling has to be involved, they are getting the Glamour from somewhere, after all."
"But I won't get involved in Spring politics - enough people don't like me. I'll take care of the chemist and you deal with your Court?"
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Ivory
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Pres 4 (Regal) - SL 1 (Noble) Fairest Hunterheart
Posts: 588
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Post by Ivory on Jan 17, 2021 20:10:42 GMT -8
There is a nod as Ivory visibly processes the information she is being given.
"Hmmm, I see," she says, "You want me to speak with Eurydice and see what I can find on her rivals? I can make arrangements. I doubt she would be anything less of eager to get rid of this little problem. Should I learn anything I will tell you, just as I expect the same from your end. My terms for the service are simple. No secrets, Rowan. This alliance relies on candor and neither of us can afford to be dishonest of shield the truth. Agreed?"
She watched the Darkling close as she pulled another sip as she waited to see if they had an accord.
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