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Spicy:
The Freehold maintains a Stable Trod which runs from Bethlehem in the Lehigh Valley down through Philadelphia to Cape May on the Jersey Shore. Each Court maintains a Hollow as well as a single old Hollow right off Independence Mall. There's a door that looks like it leads to the electric for a parking garage, and does, but if the correct knock is given - changed weekly by Winter - it opens to a homey little village in the Hedge. Small cottages, a small garden of extremely generic and tasteless Goblin Fruit which only restore glamour in their native state.
Spicy seems much better that she did yesterday, her smile is brighter and shinier, though that might just be the light reflexting off the ice-formed jagged teeth and nail, her skin is rife with black ice veins and sparkling like a fresh bank of snow, lips and tongue blue, hair frosted into place. A scent of flower and fruits moves about in the refreshing breeze that follows her.
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie seems much the same as always, as she wanders into the Hollow from the Ironside entrance. Spotting Spicy, she waves, strolling over to her fellow Spring. "Been a while. How are things with you?"
Aurelio Menegi:
Another entry from the mundane side of the hollow gate made his way in not long after Annie, white marble skin contrasting the all-black ensemble he was wearing. Bright blue eyes - a very particular shade of blue, at least as Spicy was concerned - scanned the clearing as he made his way in, heading towards the message board.
Spicy:
"I've been good, I manage to learn a little about hedge spinning stuff recently, which makes traveling the hedge make more sense." She chuckles lightly. "Making sense of the whole deal is a slow process, but I'm having fun." she grins now, her attention shifting slowly toward Aurelio, her eyes narrow.
Anneliese Kiel:
"Oh? Any particular reason you're looking to get better at traveling the Hedge?" Sensing the drifting attention, one eyebrow arches slightly, as Annie turns to see who's being focused on.
Aurelio Menegi:
The narrowed glare seemed to catch the Torrent's attention, pausing in his passage to the board and looking towards Spicy in kind. He looked puzzled at first, but after a long moment something clicked into place and he seemed more surprised than anything.
Spicy:
"Because, while I keep my own garden and I can..." Spicy reaches down into her large sport bag, down at her feet and pulls out a metal-lidded glass jar. "Make these out of the fruit I have, they're just weird tasting giant berries. I need more variety in indredient, plus it seems like alot of people want to go on trip in there so." a shrug. "I figure I might work on being better at it so I can protect them and help them."
Her attention goes back to Aurelio again and she tilt her head, her hand raise in greetings. "Hi, I'm Spicy."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Reasonable enough. I tend not to go any further in than the Hollows, so." Annie shrugs in turn. "If we are doing introductions, I am Anneliese. Annie to my friends."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Aurelio." He replied as he moved to join the pair, the warmth of an open kiln wreathed about him as his connection to the Spear made itself known. "Good to see you again, Annie. We met at your work, no?"
He looked back to Spicy again, watching her curiously. "Forgive me, but you seem...familiar, if only just."
Spicy:
Spicy, leans back down to put the jar of weird goblin fruit down into the large sport bag, there seem to be other jar of similar things inside and a few other large, much large item. "And we met at a bar, right?"
Her attention return on Aurelio. "Familiar? I'm not sure where we could've met... I'm pretty new around here." she looks over him, her eyes narrowing as if trying to remember. "Were you ever in Alaska?"
Anneliese Kiel:
"That seems right. Apologies if I forgot you, I meet a lot of people at my work." Annie grins slightly. "Not that that is a surprise, considering I work as a bartender." She glances between the other two Lost curiously.
Aurelio Menegi:
"No worries. Seeing many faces in a day is normal." He shook his head a touch at Spicy's question. "No...only been here in this country. Maybe there, though?" He motioned briefly towards the deeper parts of the Hedge around them. "A hand with those veins crossing a threshold comes to mind."
Spicy:
Spicy narrows her eyes and her mood seems to significantly darken for just a moment as she stares at the icy nails, the dark veins of ice and then looks at his. "I was...." she shakes her head once "I was giving something to someone? You? What was it?"
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie blinks. "Did you know each other Over There?" She seems worried for the pair.
Aurelio Menegi:
"Perhaps..." He nodded to Annie, a quiet frown forming as he thought back on that half-formed memory. "One of her decorations...something white, with red covering part of it."
Spicy:
Spicy looks at Aurelio and it hits her there, the biting cold, the howling winds, the faint hint of warmth from the opened door, the flash of an exchange, the slam of a door in her face. Anger twist her expression for just a moment before it fades away into something more like melancholy. "I hope you cleaned the red out." she says staring down at the bag at her feet.
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie moves to stand next to her fellow Spring, reaching up to pat Spicy's shoulder comfortingly.
Aurelio Menegi:
"It was, yes." He went quiet for a moment, looking like he wanted to offer some sort of consoling gesture himself but unsure how it would be taken. "Good to see you made it back."
Spicy:
"I'm glad you found some warmth." She says weakly, sitting down, just there, on the ground, even though there's likely a chair not too far, her expression neutral, though tears are appearing. "Sorry, I don't know... I don't know why I'm crying." she hurriedly wipe at her eyes.
Anneliese Kiel:
"It can be hard, running into someone you knew Over There unexpectedly." Annie says quietly, reaching into her bag and extracting a tissue, which she passes Spicy.
Aurelio Menegi:
Aurelio moved to take a seat as well, if only to not be looming over the Ogress, and offered a hand in consolation; if taken she would find the stone surprisingly cold, a sharp contrast to the heat of his mantle. "My apologies."
Spicy:
She looks to Annie and shrug. "I suppose it is." she tries to laugh it up a bit and it sounds very fake. She looks at the offered hand. and takes it, she feels cooler than she should too. "I don't know why you're apologizing." maybe she did, deep down? "I wasn't expecting something like that today."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Regardless of whether you were expecting it, it clearly affected you strongly." Annie pauses for a moment before sitting as well. "That does not make you weak."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Is not an easy thing to face, and I apologize for making you do so." He gave her hand a light squeeze before letting it go.
Spicy:
She blinks a little bit and seems lost for a moment, shaking her head and she hold the bag against her chest now, metallic sound resonating. "Well, at least that's done. I feel a little weird."
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie gives Spicy a worried look. "Do you want to talk about it? I might not be a Joyeux, but I do what I can."
Aurelio Menegi:
Aurelio remained quiet for the moment, that stony facade serving him well as things settled slightly out of joint on his end.
Spicy:
Spicy looks over to Aurelio, tilting her head to the side curiously as she studies him for a moment. "Yeah I'm not the only one who needs to think about it, I don't think." a soft chuckle there.
Anneliese Kiel:
"The offer is open to both of you." Annie shrugs. "If you do not wish to talk to me about it that is fine, but I would suggest doing so with someone."
Aurelio Menegi:
"More...not sure what to say than not wishing to." He looked to the pair at that. "This is the first I've found someone who was there as well."
Spicy:
Spicy acquiesce to Aurelio's words, a smile there. "Same here, maybe." She run her hand down her face. "And thank you, I will probably take you up on it if you want, but I need just a bit of time to process it."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Reasonable enough." Annie shrugs again. "Whatever happened Over There does not have to determine how you relate to each other here. We are stronger if we stand together, after all."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Indeed." He nodded quietly. "Starting fresh is a gift we have all received, after all."
Spicy:
Spicy smiles and reach out to pat him on the shoulder. "Thanks." She crosses her legs and stares down into her big sports bag for a moment.
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie's face shadows slightly at referring to it as a "gift", but she nods. "Some of us more thoroughly than others."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Mmm. Believe we both have that issue." He nodded to Annie briefly. "Although yours went farther than mine."
Spicy:
Spicy rubs her hand together slowly "I need a label maker." it's a bit out of the blue yes, but she does! "If I'm going to be making preserves jars out of goblin fruits, that'll be necessary. Ogre pepper Jelly is probably best not confused with the weird meat apple thing I ate yesterday."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Really? How far did yours go?" Annie glances at Aurelio, before nodding to Spicy. "Probably a good idea to label which jar is what, yes."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Over a century. Took a year or so to adjust, still catching up on some things."
Spicy:
"Jesus fuck, a hundred years?" She shake her head, eyes wide. "Fuck man, I thought I had it bad coming out in Philly instead of my hometown."
Anneliese Kiel:
"About that." Annie chuckles mirthlessly. "Try coming back after four hundred years and an ocean away from where you grew up."
Aurelio Menegi:
"I returned home, at least. Came here once I had enough under my feet, as it were; it was too familiar and not enough, if you follow."
Spicy:
"This life is weird man, way too weird." She reaches inside of her bag and looks at them, she is slowly trying to extirpate something from it without damaging the preserve jars.
Anneliese Kiel:
"Maybe so, but it is the one we have got. Have to make the best of it."
Aurelio Menegi:
"Indeed." He nodded quietly, then spared a glance at the bag Spicy was rummaging through. "You mentioned something about preserving. Do you cook?"
Spicy:
"Yep! I'm a cook at a local charity kitchen and I have a few random on call jobs at some dinners." She stretches her arms out as she pulls a Giant, fuckoff two-handed sword from the large sports bag, carefully. It's made out of Ice and solid shadows and sets it down over her lap and she manipulates it rather easily. "Something I brought back from There."
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie blinks. "...That is certainly impressively large, but I do not understand why you are showing it to us?"
Aurelio Menegi:
Aurelio gave the blade a curious look as well. "Impressive indeed..."
Spicy:
Spicy considers the question and comment made by Annie and it takes her entirely too long to come up with a sound for an answer there. "Oh." she points down to it. "We're speaking about food and the name of it is the Everstill Cleaver" she looks down at it. "I know I kind of ducked the topic earlier, but I just wanted to show it to him." she point to Aurelio. "He's a summer, so thought he'd like to see a weapon." she's blushing and looking increasingly embarassed the more she explains herself there.
Anneliese Kiel:
"Ah." Annie nods, glancing at Aurelio. "That seems logical enough, now you have explained it."
Spicy:
"Also I'm being weird about earlier. Sorry."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Not a problem." Annie shrugs slightly. "Do you have a preferred cuisine you like to make?"
Spicy:
Spicy thinks for a moment. "Not particularly, but I do love very spicy food, so I'm willing to explore!"
Anneliese Kiel:
"Hence the name, then?" Annie smiles at the other woman. "I have not had much in the way of spicy, as distinct from spiced, food, but I did try Ethiopian with my partner a couple of weeks ago. That was nice."
Spicy:
"I needed a job when I got out." She nods and stretches a little there. "I found out I'm super good with food and I worked on it. I dont have a lot of experience, but I'm good with it. I dont know a lot of recipe, but that'll come."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Reasonable enough," Annie nods back. "I work as a bartender, like I mentioned earlier, but that is mostly to put me through medical school, rather than as a vocation in itself."
Spicy:
"Oh damn, I know I have some magic powers that can heal. I got the spring thing." She nods "and I got the one where I hurt myself but heal you more trick too."
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie blinks. "I am not familiar with that latter one. Is it a Regalia contract?"
Spicy:
"I'm sure I can remember the name if I put any effort to it." Seh considers for a moment. "Shield regalia, I think the name is Shared Burden"
Anneliese Kiel:
"Ah, that explains it. I have only learnt contracts from the Crown and Jewels, so far."
Spicy:
"I know Tatterdemalion's Workshop" she looks excited about that one.
Anneliese Kiel:
"That is the one which lets you put together machines out of random items, yes? I have not needed to learn it as yet."
Spicy:
"Yes! and I'm an Ogre, so It doesn't even have to look like it could work" She grins "I love it." she chuckles and stretches again. she puts the blade into the bag again
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie nods. "It does sound one of the ones with more varied applications, especially with your Seeming advantage."
Spicy:
"Yes." She smiles and zip up the bag and set it aside.
Aurelio Menegi:
"I know the Jewel and the Sword myself, plus those of my court. Do not know the workshop yet, though."
Anneliese Kiel:
"I only swore to Spring a couple of months ago, so I have not really had a chance to learn many of the Court's contracts yet," Annie admits. "I do need to learn the Blessing of Warm Breath at some point, though."
Spicy:
"It is rather useful." She grins. "I swore maybe three weeks ago now."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Even more recent than me, then." Annie shrugs. "How many of our Court have you met so far?"
Spicy:
"You, The mermaid person who speak differently .... Ari obviously." She looks around. "I'm not sure if anyone else I met was of which court, I'm only now picking up some of the difference in mantle."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Oh, Etsy? She is interesting, but hard to understand sometimes." Another shrug. "This is a good location to meet many of our kind, as is the bar I work at, Ironside."
Spicy:
"Yeah, what's the name of the bar?" She asks, curious.
Anneliese Kiel:
"Club Vertigo." Annie glances at Spicy. "It is in the Gayborhood, if that is an issue?"
Spicy:
"Pfft, I'm gay as a whistle, that's not a problem." She chuckles. "I used to be a sculptor, mostly women I sculpted."
Anneliese Kiel:
"Ah, an artist, then." Annie smiles. "My talent lies more towards the performing arts, but that does not mean I do not appreciate the visual ones."
Spicy:
"Yeah, I used to be one before, my fetch has that now." She shrug her shoulder. "Nice girl though, was pretty helpful" she takes a deep breath
Anneliese Kiel:
"I do not know if I have a Fetch." Annie shrugs in turn. "Then again, if I do she is probably long dead. And on the other side of an ocean, as well, even if she is still alive."
Spicy:
Spicy nods at the thing. "I had no idea that it was possible to be taken this out of time." she shake her head.
Anneliese Kiel:
"Well, now you do!" Annie sighs. "It has been rather a significant adjustment, of course."
Spicy:
"If you need some help with that, let me know." She says with a little nod of her head.
Anneliese Kiel:
"I am coping fine right now, but thank you for the offer." She squints at Spicy. "How about you? How have you been adjusting?"
Spicy:
"I don't think there was a lot of timey shenanigans with me. I mean, I remember having a flat screen phone so." She shrugs. "It's... the weird bullshit? Like, the magic and the magic promises and the kings and queens?"
Anneliese Kiel:
"Ah. That... makes a lot of sense, if you grew up in this time." Annie shrugs slightly. "I did not know about the magic promises, of course, but monarchs were not unusual, in my time. That is not to say that I met any, of course."
Spicy:
She nods "Yeah I... got a bit weirded out when Liane gave me a quick rundown" Spicy recalls and she shrug. "I've been trying to power through a lot of it."
Anneliese Kiel:
Annie nods, before glancing down as her phone beeps at her, reading the notification and standing. "Well, it was nice talking to you, Spicy, but I have to get to class now. Feel free to drop by the bar anytime."
Spicy:
"Have fun learning about how people look inside." She stand up and pick her stuff up too. "Have a good evening.
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