[Glimpse] Coffee & Tea

Lucas and Kai didn't really feel like they were working—the Winter wasn't shy about loving his gossip, and an excuse for both of them to expand their social lives to cruise the Summer scene was more exciting than it should have been. 

Ricochet was the obvious choice to start, given both of their ties to the motley. They met at the piano bar in O'Hara's as a familiar Sound Elemental crooned into the mic as Lucas surprised the Draconic with her perfume, earning him a kiss. Sweeney was reluctant to talk about it, not wanting to rile up his motleymates, but some basic coaxing got them a summary they had heard before. Fawkes had changed, the glass of his mien now riddled with lightning patterned cracks that flexed as he spoke with more animation. Sand didn't spill out in a morbid facsimile of bleeding cuts as he quietly frowned or smirked, but the same stillness to his expression returned as the scandal was spoken of. Eurydice seemed hungry for proof that Archie wasn't going to keep slinging magic at her allies, where she wasn't even sure at this point what compelled him—especially with Carr. Hartman had a grudge? Fawkes didn't comment, but Sweeney offered that he thinks the Spring just panics and wants to be able to anticipate the outcomes. They pair get the impression that a Motley War isn't immanent if After Party did their homework, but left unchecked Eurydice didn't seem scared in the slightest to start tipping tables. Rather, it was her love of the Season that kept her from continuing to harass a group of their rising stars. She was well aware that as a Chevalier, the Cartel had been concentrated under Loki, which scared people aware of such things. She held a lot of sway with her personal connections to the Entitlement, and was very adept at rallying off earned loyalty over the years. A cold flash of electric pulse threaded through the Sunbanisher's cracked mien when asked what he was going to do, and he mumbled something about already having dealt with Hartman, watching the other two in his motley closely. 

Carousing and summer walks along the strip draws a lot of general answers of, 'Well, Cinder mentioned...' Dawn Catcher didn't have any Springs in their circle, but Cinderella was well connected. The Sun's Tongue rants over Bubble Tea and churros, that right after Beltane she had drafted an article about abusive dynamics and navigating them among their tight community—alas, a close friend of hers surprised her and spilt a drink all over her laptop. The scramble to replace it had set her back on her homework and finances, but at least her charity and business was safe in the Cloud and on a backup hard drive. Kai had more context that she probably had bigger fish to fry, but it was clear the Sun's Tongue was keeping a close eye on After Party, and ready to throw an open social denouncement with all her new age skills in media and charisma. She had heard post Beltane, After Party immediately were hunting around, asking about the source of the rumour that led to Loki's attack. This had sunk her opinion from wanting to do damage control and mitigate Loki's toxic violence, to believing that After Party was far more interested in vengeance than any sort of reconciliation. In fact, she radiated so much anger that both were convinced that even if After Party did a 180 and openly started apologizing and doing damage control, Cinder would believe it was only because they didn't get what they wanted. To the Bright One, it was forced due to being backed into a corner, rather than any place of genuine empathy. Her passionate opinion would be a influence on the lower Mantle rabble, and will need to be met with to have a hope in hell of changing her mind.

Loki was oddly aloof, usually known for being fun at a party. He masks enough to keep the other Chevaliers upbeat, but between Lucas and Kai's empathy skills, it's easy to detect depression. Whether that had to do with Apollo being gone, or other factors going on in the background remained unknown. He's initially reluctant to talk about After Party, but Lucas manages to sell that his current popularity isn't an accident with his very public warmth with Oren and Eurydice. Kai offers that it's in Loki's best interest to make friends outside the High Seasons when there's so much tension that is making everyone's lives harder as Lost fight other Lost—relieving rage was part of his duties now, after all. The Elemental's nature shows as he doesn't seem to personally connect to the situation, rather, it was a sort of The Nature of Things that he had to adhere to when faced with a blatant injustice that was poisoning the community that needed to be checked. They get the impression that those so closely connected to a Season have their actions and decisions influenced, which made Loki even clam up more to finally articulate. Their skin burned as the Elemental stewed.

It's easy to track how—despite his dangerous and unpredictable behaviour—Loki is a sort of small-town hero among the Chevaliers and more experienced Summers. Years of managing the underworld to make it safer for the Lost had taken its toll. He was known for putting himself on the front line and had saved several Freeholders on more than one occasion, and had relentless loyalty with a strange code he clung to to keep anchored in his antics. The man served as a Summer balancer, that kept the spirit from withdrawing favour under Uriel's steady and subdued Vermillion nobility, and thus a living symbol for his Entitlement. Nathaniel mentioned he was the one who was integral in breaching the former Mad King's protections and give Uriel the killing blow. Many of the veterans knew that without him, Indra would likely still reign. 

Politically, he was dangerous. More so than any of Uriel's Knights for his potential to throw his court into chaos if a line was drawn to force his hand.

And now he shared the same rank as his Queen.