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Post by Blaze on Mar 3, 2022 0:21:49 GMT -8
Blaze didn't know whether to feel respect for the Beast for wanting to see this night through, or shake her head dismissively at the bravado. So ultimately she did neither, preparing for the procedure. Chrys had it right - Blaze was tough, or at least tried to be when the situation demanded. But one does not simply remain completely passive when a bullet is removed from your torn body and the flesh is knitted back together. It's the testament to the skill and magic on display that the healing was completed despite that, and that it was over so quickly.
And then, of course, came the talk about the cost. Komi may be a happy little big giant Ogre, but Blaze frowns at him, her mood sour.
"Yuan would be dead if not for me. You may've seen what remained of the idiot who wanted to shiv him" She asserts. It was the second time tonight that a member of the Verdant Court tried to force their view as a rational choice, and the Torrent isn't going to let that happen without at least putting up a fight. Look what happened the last time she gave in "And I never asked you to clean the warehouse. I appreciate the help, but as far as I'm concerned we're even and should just forget this whole thing. Still, give me a call if you need me to help you out with something. You know, as a favour between friends."
She stands up and moves to wait for Yuan beside the entrance.
"Now if you excuse me..."
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Hua Yuan
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Presence 2 - Nostalgic; SL 1 - Flawless
Posts: 304
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Post by Hua Yuan on Mar 6, 2022 2:15:09 GMT -8
Ecstatic fire seared his body to ashes as all neural receptors fired at once. Then came liquefaction, the sublimation of flesh, dissolving what was left in the macrocosm. While his physical body was going through surgery, Yuan's astral self underwent collapse and triage, parts of his personality picked apart and divided like so much LEGO blocks. They were merged, smashed together by the violent whims of his drive for perfection. The knitting of meat and sinew accelerated the resilience of his form.
His eyes flew open in rapturous exhilaration. For a split second, he perceived Beauty as an absolute experience of the collective self, untainted by the Beholder. It felt like infinity danced in the palm of his hand.
But all truths, especially alchemical truths, are illusive in nature. Just as quickly as he had been rid of his treasonous envelope, the Beast was forced back into the limiting solid state as the Wyrd-enduced high came to and end. Fleeting impressions lingered for a while, even when looking at the fresh cuts along Komi's arm. Gripping Mich's shirt, he rode the afterglow for as long as his starved receptors allowed him, steeling himself for the crash to come. It was getting the Party Worms removed all over again.
"I thought I was going to die," he confessed into the Dancer's chest. "I thought I was going bleed out in the gutters-" The voice cracked, creating a disharmony that made him wince. Yuan cleared his throat and released the shirt, now stained with his tears. "I just wanted to help." His right leg, ever restless, jumped up and down while he waited for the inevitable scolding.
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Post by Mitchell Carr on Mar 6, 2022 23:15:04 GMT -8
Komi doesn't seem offended by the Winter's brisk rebuttal, though he glances to Mitchell for a little backup when he wasn't looking to strongarm anyone. The Oni was a little inflexible when it came to specific instruction on what expectations were, and his iron stubbornness had been honed and steered towards Bishop interests when dealing with difficult clients. Chrys gave a single shouldered shrug to Blaze, seemingly accepting her assertion and wanting to stay in the Elemental's good graces,
"-And thank you for that..." she trails off, flushing as the other woman was already vacating. Her lips thinned as she held the unmarked container of codeine that she was going to offer her as a pain killer, worried it would come off as extortion or a trap at this point.
Mitch caught Komi's glance over Yuan's head as he held the Beast, giving a slight shake of the head to indicate that he would handle it and to give the woman her space. The Ogre happily obliged, echoing Chrys' thanks for protecting their own. Any veneer of the Fairest's outward calm was eliminated with Yuan's close contact; with Carr's heart thundering from the stress of the situation, and sharp, shallow breaths as he masked his breathing.
"You didn't, you're fine now," Mitch quietly reassured, a slight frown forming as the other stared at him. His hand started to move to wipe the other's cheek before hesitating — Yuan was high and just had a near death experience; the context of their last conversation giving pause on instinct. Blinking, he glanced over towards Blaze, raising his voice enough for it to travel but not shout,
"Thank you, Komizucha, and Chrysathemum — I know that was really short notice and potentially dangerous. Blaze, offering the favour's enough, plus, you're trying to help with the Spring Contracts, right?" he added, smoothing the interaction with his Court's political expectations. "Which Knight are you sworn to?"
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Post by Blaze on Mar 7, 2022 10:58:50 GMT -8
Blaze was blissfully unaware of the richness and texture of Yuan's internal experiences as the rose petal did its work on him. Even from the outward signs it looked like potent stuff and the Elemental was silently grateful for the judgement that made her refuse the gift. She doesn't engage too much with Chrysanthemum and Komizucha - not that she has anything against them, it's just that she has a job to do and they are burning moonlight. She'd much rather quickly get back to what she was doing before this little episode and, she assumes, so would they.
"Just doing my part for the freehold. If it means helping to fix whatever is wrong with the Contracts and putting a bullet in those stupid enough to stand in the way, well..." She shrugs, hoping no one gets too hung up on what she just said "We all do what we gotta do."
The question about vassalage is, however, a bit more suspicious. The Torrent doubts someone like Carr would choose this specific moment for idle socializing, meaning she has some kind of agenda. An agenda that, Blaze suspects, goes entirely beyond wanting to send her hypothetical lord or lady a thank you card and a fruit basket.
"Why do you ask?"
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Post by Mitchell Carr on Mar 7, 2022 12:14:30 GMT -8
The Spring noble's toothy grin held no humor as his patience was quickly evaporating. Anger was new, and the acquisition of an Icon had not warned him of needing to work on a quiet temper.
He knew the Elemental was in pain, and frustrated.
He found he didn't care that much.
"How about we stop implying that we aren't on the same side?"
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Post by Blaze on Mar 7, 2022 14:27:16 GMT -8
She could just stay silent. There's nothing stopping her from playing deaf until Yuan is back on his feet and they can leave to catch up with Lotus Eater, but on the other hand there is no reason to completely alienate these people just yet. She doesn't owe them shit, but having access to Spring healing magic is pretty useful if she plans to move closer to the front lines. So with a sigh, Blaze attempts to deescalate.
"You said it, not me." Carr's words sounded like a leap of logic, but they weren't entirely unjustified either. Even so, better to make clear that one has peaceful intentions "I just have an allergic reaction to questions that I don't see as relevant in situations like... well, like this. Call it overabundance of caution, being an asshole or whatever you care to, but it's a security measure I have no intention of dropping. We all have codes to live by."
Blaze was hardly an expert in deep Spring lore, but she knew of the Verdant Rule. Hopefully the argument from liberty to make one's own desires and customs will be enough to foster understanding, if not acceptance in the Bishop of Blackbirds.
"Still, you could probably easily find out that I'm not sworn to anyone right now if you actually cared. Now, can I know why you asked? If you want to interview me further then I know a lovely cafe Downtown, but for now we all have lives to get back to."
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Post by Mitchell Carr on Mar 7, 2022 16:24:24 GMT -8
"Oh."
A diamond vein worked its way through the marble skin as he spoke, with crystal flakes flaring in a ring from his eye to his temple. His eyelid twitched as it tried to blink over the errant spike, "I guess we've established some basic empathy, then, since you're experiencing the colossal waste of my own time."Chrys' eyes widened, exchanging a look with Komi as she listened to the Dancer blister. "I asked a basic question, Torrent. My Bishop just bled for your half-dead husk and
will be shouldering your wounds for weeks." He let go of Yuan, the mournful chorus of retribution ringing with his words as the kaleidoscopic light of his Mantle spun around his advance, words bouncing around the room in a disembodied manner as a myriad of eyes rolled towards Blaze in the fractal light.
"Do you know how many favours I've pulled to keep Emerald heat off of you? And you have the gall to give me lip on Onyx precepts. I taught your king how to spell and have pieced together your Sun Banisher a hundred times over."
He stopped before he got into the woman's space, addressing her properly instead of calling from across the empty floor. "I do care when I get a call in the middle of a warzone that two Freeholders are dying,
and I want to know who sanctioned this Harvest."
He held up a finger, the shadows of his eyes flashing with sparks of light as more shards bloomed into sprouting feathers across his mein, "But you have an Oath of Silence. You are, in fact, in my way. So I am doing my fucking job and going to your superior."
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Hua Yuan
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Presence 2 - Nostalgic; SL 1 - Flawless
Posts: 304
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Post by Hua Yuan on Mar 7, 2022 16:46:21 GMT -8
Yuan's entire body went stiff. Instincts screamed at him to do something. Every word reverberated in his mind like a tuning fork shoved into his brain. The Throne was demonstrating Its displeasure and even if it wasn't aimed at the Playmate, it made Yuan want to not be anywhere near them.
"It was Fawkes. He messaged me, saying he needed help with a Harvest." Anything to placate the Herald's wrath. "We were just supposed to scare some kid off of criminality." He couldn't remember if he had said that before or not. Just keep talking and maybe you won't get scoured. "But then he started chasing the gangsters that showed up and set the whole thing off. I'm sorry. Please, please don't be angry. I called you here, me. I'll work off Blaze's debt, somehow. We just need to find Fawkes and get him to-"
Desperation fuelled his words but he managed to shut his mouth at the last possible second. He didn't want people to look into this. They just needed to pull this thing off and all problems would be solved. "I can't tell you any more. I can't. Please..." He couldn't meet the Fairest,s gaze. He didn't even know if Mitch was looking his way. All he could do was wait for the inevitable.
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Post by Blaze on Mar 8, 2022 2:12:32 GMT -8
In another life, in another universe, Blaze would have taken Carr's finger and jammed it right up his eye. She would have made it clear that he and his companions are going to bleed a lot more if he doesn't stand down. With fire and bullets she would get her point across, burning this place to the ground if that is what it would take. But this is not the world in which Blaze currently lives - in here she is guided by the laws of Winter, teaching her that there is no freedom without mastering your passions and that insults and outbursts of anger is like shouting your own weakness from the rooftops. She has to look away from the Bishop as his mien and Mantle flare up, not because she is afraid of him but to hide that she too, is bristling.
Take a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale.
"Then do your job and let me do mine." she says slowly, keeping both warmth and chill away from her voice, looking back at the Dancer "I have no quarrel with you, Bishop. You have your answers. Let us go in peace."
The Torrent briefly looks towards Komizucha and Chrysanthemum, trying to see what they think of this. She mustn't get fixated on Carr when there are other unknown quantities in the room.
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Post by Mitchell Carr on Mar 8, 2022 10:33:19 GMT -8
The grating migraine underneath the Mask of humanity scratched and bit, dragging the razorwire of feathers along the idea of a skull. Design urged Correction under the weight of the Arcadian Crown, and Carr stared sightlessly past Blaze as her aura starts to broil with tainted secrets and the breech of untenable etiquette. Yuan's desperate appeals needled through the haze and jarred the Fairest to focus on the present, where everyone was at least a little human and flawed and forgiveness was an essential part of existence. It stung on a personal level. He dropped the weaving clause of a Contract, fingers compulsively snapping as he cleared his throat.
As the Bishop smoothed the crystalline wings threatening to split apart his cranium, expression neutral as he breathed. Komi's colour had been steadily draining as he had shouldered the equivalent of a shotgun to the chest for the healed pair, and wasn't paying attention to the Onyx Elemental regarding him as he frowned worriedly. Chrys just appeared tired, resigned that it would take some time for the Freehold to adjust their attitude towards the Antler Crown's healing. Though Carr's 180 in assertiveness was something she was still adjusting to, their former charity had become unsustainable, and the Fairest was looking out for his people.
As Blaze reflected, a detail that had been lost in the rush of emergency that only she would be privy to: Lamassu would likely be unaware of the weakened Wards and the presence of Huntsmen. Therefore, dropping the Mask was done under the false assumption that nightmares from beyond the Hedge would emerge to seek their quarry — the hunting ground that both Lotus and 'Fawkes' were expected to return to, and the other team of Spring courtiers were currently locking down.
Carr had taken on a grey pallor, offering the Elemental a thumbs up before turning his attention to his phone. He brazenly texted Golden Boy about the incoming Court conflict, before calling Fawkes. He didn't acknowledge Yuan, or anyone else for that matter; streaming priorities when he had no reason to continue trusting oversight. The Sun Banisher was acting far too off-kilter for the Bishop to be confident that he wasn't suffering from Arcadian madness, and Yuan and Blaze weren't exactly inspiring trust that that would be handled safely.
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Post by Blaze on Mar 9, 2022 8:34:33 GMT -8
The moments of quiet allow the Torrent to collect her thoughts, which are not entirely under control. Something is nagging at her, something she missed that she can't name, something that was in plain sight but got buried under everything that happened since. And then it comes back to her in stark clarity, making her grimace in frustration and spit out a single venomous
"Fuck."
They never should have let Lamassu set the terms. They should tie it up and bring someone to it like a delivery service, but... but now they are stuck with this, and there is no other reality but the present one. Blaze looks at the Bishop as he is calling someone of the phone.
"Carr, there's something else. Fawkes dropped his Mask, and with the Wards weakened that's like a signal flare. Your people might be in danger. Tell them whatever you need, just make sure they get out of there right now. Please."
It's more insistent than pleading, but if the Bishop wants to see himself as the sole responsible adult in the room then playing into that at the cost of one's own standing is a small price to pay for what might be the difference between some innocent freeholders seeing the next day or getting dragged back to Arcadia. Blaze doesn't wait for his answer before putting out her own phone and typing out a short message to Lotus Eater. The deceptively simple mission was deteriorating by the minute, like a cliff lashed by raging waves, and it takes a lot of willpower not to swear again.
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Post by Mitchell Carr on Mar 11, 2022 19:47:34 GMT -8
"Fuck."
The Squire echoed Blaze, blinking as he processed another curve ball. He didn't get angry or snipe the Winter for withholding key information, just nodding as she had the grace to offer what was previously forgotten. He immediately called for Chrys and Komi to contact the others and call an evac order and gestured for them to carry on and bail themselves. The Springs moved quickly in an organized fashion, tagging multiple Emeralds around the site of Yuan and Blaze's assault to quietly remove themselves. Yuan mentioned again that he would 'pay Blaze's debt', to which the Fairest looked pained and Chrysanthemum patiently explained to her courtmate that that wasn't how it worked. Tithe to the Season was as much practical as a symbolic act to feeding the growth of their protector, and an Emerald simply shuffling his dues to another vassalage chain defeated the purpose. Besides, how else was the Freehold expected to change if the Desires imposed on others never came at a balancing cost?
As those conversations were happening, Mitch didn't drop the line with Fawkes, advancing to a better vantage point outside the open floor plan of the construction site as he held the device to his good ear. As the Sun Banisher didn't pick up, the sylph grit his teeth and returned within the minute. He could at least make it safer for everyone by using the only positive Contract he had dragged back from the Welkin Glade, sans the ones he had picked up from his Entitlement. Mitch could at least understand a promise of some sort was in place where he wasn't going to be offered anything further — he could provide oversight with his own court, but whatever the hell Yuan and the Winters were up to would continue to be off his radar.
What the Sovereign could control was dictating their future.
"Hey, Yuan, can you let me prick you for a Contract? I'm going to make it hard for the Huntsman to find your group." It was clear that it was to meet a magical requirement, rather than the obvious solution of merely wringing out his ruined shirt. He also knew with the Playmate that he wouldn't be dealing with much resistance, and he was attempting to give Blaze the space she needed.
Snapping off a crystal needle, Mitch would work his magic by twisting blood, time, and fate in a reality-bending dance that would take the next dozen or so minutes. Either he was cursing the Huntsman itself, or blessing the Playmate — and the other three by association, or anyone they would later collide with — either way, there was no expectation for them to wait on him.
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Post by Blaze on Mar 12, 2022 13:42:50 GMT -8
If she was being honest, Blaze was surprised the Bishop didn't admonish her for what must look from his perspective like foolishness or deliberate malice. It was a testament to either hid magnanimity or tiredness, although right now the Torrent had no interest in testing which one was it. An eyebrow was raised at the request to prick Yuan's skin - she understood it to be a way to circumvent a Contract's cost, but was unfamiliar with the power itself. Taking solace in the presumption that now would be a strange time for him to work against them. If he wanted them gone or held, he had the strength in numbers, after all.
So Blaze simply checks if every single item she entered this place with is still with her, and after reaching a satisfying conclusion made a few movements to stretch, as if to check if all her body parts still work. Apparently they do, so she pushes any thoughts about debts, Huntsmen and anything else not relevant in the next hour to the back of her mind.
Time to resume the mission.
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Hua Yuan
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Presence 2 - Nostalgic; SL 1 - Flawless
Posts: 304
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Post by Hua Yuan on Mar 12, 2022 14:20:48 GMT -8
Yuan was forced to admit that there was little he could do to smooth over the situation beside convincing Blaze. His leg shook in annoyance and with pent up energy. Still, he offered Komi and Chrys, as well as his phone number and and offer of assistance should the need arise.
He didn’t resist Mitch, presenting his hand in an almost reverential fashion. Then, before the Dancer started spinning Fate, Yuan planted a rapid kiss on his cheek with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I’ll call you later, yeah?”
He then turned to no one particular, and manifested his want. “I need new clothes.” His bloody rags were in tatters. “And so do you, Blaze.” There had to be a thrift store somewhere along the way - he didn’t really trust Lotus to get him presentable hand-me-downs.
Getting closer to the Torrent, Yuan lowered his voice, keeping the conversation private. “They we’re just wanting to help, you know. They’re worried. For me, and for you. There’s a civil war brewing and Mitch is doing his best to minimize collateral damage. Just- try to understand?”
The Mantle of dandelions swirled around them, urging proximity between the impromptu allies and adding weight to the Grimm’s words.
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