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Post by Krakenbox on Sept 7, 2021 11:04:39 GMT -8
Isla's cheeks puffed, trying not to roll her eyes in her clear frustration, "Promise to help me?"
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Eis
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Post by Eis on Sept 7, 2021 17:45:07 GMT -8
Eis, still keeping a wary eye on the other child's mother, puts in her own two cents.
"Helping you is the reason we're here, child. Make no mistake about that. And I promise that I'll do everything I can to make all of this O.K. So will my... friends." She gives the other two an apologetic glance and a shrug. Its not a word she throws around all of the time. You know... the 'F' word.
She continues on in an almost lilting voice, like she were speaking to her own child. Or, well, at the very least a well-liked niece. "But I'm afraid my compatriot here has it right; we don't want to put our unicorn in danger. So what about your 'friends', then? Do you think they are dangerous? If you get them angry?" Despite her reputation for being a less-than-coddling teacher, her maternal instincts are still very much alive. She pays close attention to the girl, gauging her response for honesty. Children are known to fib when they're scared, after all.
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Post by Krakenbox on Sept 8, 2021 20:39:01 GMT -8
Any Fae creature, including Changelings, could sense when the Wyrd was asking for its tithe. Words weighed differently, and as Eis pronounced a promise, she stood at a precipice to knock the gesture flat and her statement empty, or step to her words.
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Post by Blaze on Sept 12, 2021 11:13:26 GMT -8
With the amount of word jockeying right now and how little effect it seemed to have, it has occurred to Blaze that they might need to seal a promise soon if they want things done. It hasn't slipped her mind that they're on the clock - at one point someone will just call the cops, and even if it won't end up with them in the back of a squad car, their window of opportunity will close.
So Blaze did nothing.
The Sprite lets Eis decide if she wants to Seal her words.
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Post by Wayland on Sept 18, 2021 13:43:00 GMT -8
Eis and Blaze seem like they’re good at this. The whole, ‘not lying, but not telling the truth’ thing. Wayland supposes it’d be a skill many Winters are practiced in. She’s happy to let them do it. Isla’s request for a promise makes something in her chest clench a little bit. They’re about to either Seal the deal with this little girl… or what, stage an abduction? No, they’re all gonna have to put up or shut up.
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Post by Krakenbox on Sept 18, 2021 14:44:57 GMT -8
It didn't take empathy skills to note the child was running out of patience with the magical adults, her head turning back to play and her search. She was clearly desensitized to the paranormal, the gawking done now that she wasn't sharing in the novelty with the other little girl.
"Yep! They can get pretty scary," she said, sounding impressed with herself, or maybe trying to project to the Fairy Court that she had interesting things going on as well. "If he's not with you and you can't promise to help me, I don't trust strangers. I'll find another way."
Isla clutched the edges of her shirt as if to curtsy, and realizing she both did not know how to do that, and lacked a true dress, she instead offered a little bow as she turned around to leave.
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Post by Wayland on Sept 18, 2021 23:37:21 GMT -8
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Post by Krakenbox on Sept 19, 2021 9:33:26 GMT -8
Wayland notes that a few crows have taken interest in their vehicle, cawing at families that pass in hopes of dropped fries and other bits from the meal truck.
The mother from earlier watches as Isla drops the conversation and tries to rejoin Salena and the other children at the park, glancing at the group and assessing the situation from the distance of one of the benches.
A few off leash dog race to greet a new black dog on the field, before stopping and shying away from it. Who owns it is ambiguous.
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Eis
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Post by Eis on Sept 19, 2021 12:07:48 GMT -8
The Weiße Frau nods, solemnly, when Isla confirms what she'd already suspected. But she isn't ready to let the girl dismiss them, so her hands go up in resignation. "You've got me, dear. I promise." It's what she's wanted from the start. She couldn't live with herself if a girl so like her own daughter came to harm - by Fae or Vega's own Changeling Court. All that's changed now is that the Wyrd will hold her to her word. She shoots the other two a glance, mouthing 'trust me'.
"You're brave to help out such 'scary' people, Isla. But I've been known to be a little scary myself. Can you take us to these friends of yours? We wish to talk." Eis can only hope her promise to the girl is enough to ensure cooperation.
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Post by Krakenbox on Sept 19, 2021 15:33:36 GMT -8
Isla slowed as the Wyrd cemented some trust she could rely on. In her involuntary adventure across the country, she had learned that adults do indeed lie and often don't know what they're talking about. She gestured for Eis to follow after her, talking over her shoulder, "Mmkay. We just gotta walk a bit, so kids don't get lost on the trail."
It had happened before.
She wanted to feel bad about that.
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Post by Blaze on Sept 20, 2021 11:39:32 GMT -8
Oh look, they are actually getting somewhere and all it took was a magically binding promise. Trust Eis? Well, obviously, it's not like they actually have a choice. On top of everything else, she's the one that knows this girl the best and has been dealing with this case before. As far as Blaze could read Isla, she only gestured for the Autumn to follow, but the Elemental assumed she won't mind the two tag-alongs - and so Blaze trails behind them, looking for signs of trouble while the Weisse Frau engages the child in conversation, however one-sided it may be.
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Post by Wayland on Sept 20, 2021 11:51:13 GMT -8
A food truck. Isla could be feeding herself from there. But something about this doesn't sit right with Wayland. Maybe it's the dog that's just shown up, without an apparent owner, scaring the local canines. That doesn't definitively mark it as a hob, but it's definitely something she hangs a tag on while she keeps her eyes peeled. She's not eager for any of them to be ambushed here, out from under the Wards.
Eis confirms what she already thought; they were going to have to do this on Isla's terms, at least for now. She follows at the rear of the party, keeping an eye on that black dog, and opening her senses to anything that might be out of place.
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Post by Krakenbox on Sept 24, 2021 11:13:08 GMT -8
Wayland is able to note that the dog and Isla have supernatural elements to them, the Ogre's attention naturally drawn to the sword hair pin driven into her braid. The group walked away from the park, the child gestured to a collection of crudely painted glass trinkets and homemade ornaments hung along an outcropping branch of one of the paloverde as a community installation piece. Before the group had a chance to catch on to what they were looking at, Isla plucked a long blade of grass and whistled through it, along with a small jig as she kicked up dust with her feet. A cool wind picked out, swirling the desert cloud through the sparking display as the image twisted into a delicate glass doorway with a twinkling chime. Time twisted beyond the edge, the chirping crickets and sounds of evening predators sang on a moonlit path. As Isla stepped through, the chestnut hair completely washed of colour as it captured silver, the sickly pallor of her starvation and exhaustion restored with the flush of fire beneath the skin in a dim glow. Wisps danced around her excitedly in greeting as she grinned at them, welcoming her back as dark figures lurked among the roots and shallow water. "The fairy court wants to meet you all!" she shouted to the shadows, impatient and familiar with the direct manner only known to the boldness of children. The water rippled as lily pads flitted through the air like moon jellies, flickering to resemble something vaguely humanoid. The edges of the gate erupted into hatching spiders from their crystal nest, skittering towards the group in a small pool of living mercury. An equine creature of bioluminescent fungus snorted proudly as it trotted the edge of the glade, mane shaking with faerie fire. Isla held one of the large dandelion puffs that unfurled into a hedgehog as the rest of the brood floated harmlessly on the swirling breeze, watching and blinking with curious interest from various degree of upside down to right side up. Isla did indeed have a lot of friends.
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Post by Blaze on Sept 26, 2021 13:55:02 GMT -8
What they saw on the other side of the Gate was definitely on the more benign-looking side of the fantastical, but this by no means meant they could let their guard down. In fact, Blaze was filled with a certain sense of foreboding that'll probably evolve into regret by the time this is all over. At least she seems to be moving up in the world - this will likely be the last time someone implies Blaze is royalty, by mistake or otherwise.
Nothing to do now but play along.
The Sprite assumes a neutral expression and gives a small nod that could be interpreted as a greeting if one was willing to offer as much charity as a corporation on the eve of tax season. Blaze was more interested in what the hobs were feeling - she looks at them all, trying to puzzle out if their non-human appearances indicate malice or merely interest. She was particularly distrustful of the fluffy hedgehogs - cute little bastards are probably just waiting for a chance to show teeth.
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Post by Eis on Sept 26, 2021 17:48:08 GMT -8
Eis's dark orbs widen in wonder at the fantastical creatures Isla has led them to. If she weren't so invested in helping the girl, a cursory study of the creatures would be positively exhilarating. But she is here for the girl, and soon the inkish black eyes narrow as she puts herself on guard. Only after she ceases gawking does she find herself aware of the changes Isla has undergone. It's... sickening. The poor girl. How could her parents let her get this way? Has Isla even been missed!? It's unthinkable. Isla's parents have the good fortune of having a living daughter, and they hardly seem deserving of that blessing. If Isla were her own daughter?
No... this isn't the time. She needs to be calm and collected. So she shoves the horror and revulsion aside and puts on a very strong face.
Confident that she's fully in control of her emotions, she addresses the amassed curiosities. "I hope fortunes have found you well. We're here to talk about a certain unicorn." Its a neutral enough expression. Better than saying 'good day' to a bunch of creatures who live in a land where day and night perhaps aren't clearly defined.
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