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The Winter Queen's cottage in the Winter Hollow is a little more ... spare... than the cottage she keeps in the Freehold Hollow. There are certain appearances which must be kept up for the other Courts which she does not bother with when it comes to her own Court. At the appointed time (whether Lux knows it's the appointed time or not), Marjorie sits quietly in her sparely-furnished cabin, shuffling tarot cards, a pot of tea and two mugs waiting.
Lux walks quietly through the Winter's village. Their lights are a bit dimmer here, a little paler--there's no need to force them to be bright among other Winters who... get it. Still, when they knock lightly on the door and poke their head in, they offer the Queen a warm smile in greeting. "Um... got a minute?"
"Indeed. In fact, I have several, in sequence, one right after the other, which you may have." A dad joke from the Winter Queen. It must feel awful nice to set that crown down for another nine months. She stops shuffling her cards and sets them down on her side table, and then gestures to the other chair across the hearth from her. The fire crackles merrily, and despite its spareness, there's a gentle warmth of Home in the middle of Winter which permeates the place. "How can I help you, Lux?"
Lux snorts softly in amusement, slipping inside and nudging the door closed behind them. Their glowing eyes flicker towards the cards before they settle down into the chair. "I wanted to talk about my... uh... future." Lux grins lop-sidedly. "I'm not too used to... like... wanting responsibilities and stuff, buuut... So, I heard about the DJ Ötzal thing? And it sounds hella rad."
She pours tea for both of them, passing one of the mugs over to Lux without asking them if they want one. It's presumed, apparently. The tea is -- as usual -- jasmine, a richly-scented blend which fills the cabin with its gentle perfume. "As it so happens, the future is a topic on which I am well-qualified to speak." Some wryness, there, from beneath the heavy hood. "We have a number of DJs, and it is -- a good and pleasant thing to have more. Are you -- aware -- of the potential for -- " And then Marjorie stops, as if looking for the right word. "Sometimes DJs are accidental oracles."
Lux does accept the mug, giving a sip as they watch her intently. "I've heard... rumors. I've never experienced any visions or anything before, though. But uh... it's not something I'm against? Like--it sounds scary, but... it's also a useful service to the Freehold. I like spreading information that is important. That helps people. And I'm not afraid to put myself at risk to do it."
The mug disappears underneath her cowl every so often as she takes a sip, and then Marjorie sits with the words Lux says for a while. The silence stretches out until it might be a little uncomfortable. "This is suited to you, I think. The only other DJ we have at the moment is Robin, who does it as a little bit of a change from being Steward." There's a mild note of approval, there. "You may wish to check in with her as well. She will have tips for you, I am certain of it." A pause. "Do you have questions about it, at all?"
"I mean, yeah, a lot of questions." Lux grins. "I've just heard... rumors and all. It's kind of shrouded in mystery, which I guess is the point... But I can ask Robin about it, if she's better? Just like... any rules or protocols, how to access Radio Free Fae, all that?"
There's another of her long pauses. "Which is kind of the point. Robin will know the current hiding location for the equipment; it changes on a weekly basis for security purposes, and I trust her implicitly to guide you. There are relatively few rules and protocols -- we trust our DJs to put out broadcasts when they feel they should. You can play music, send out dedications, take calls, do news broadcasts -- what we ask is that it's ... meaningful in some way. And it can simply be meaningful ... in the sense that it's music, which has its own inherent meaning."
"Does that make sense?"
Their glow brightens as they smile wider, bobbing their head. "Yeah! I can do that. For sure. I've been experimenting with remixing music and shit--so happy to do that, even if its just for its own sake." Lux shifts excitedly in their chair. "I'll go find Robin as soon as I can. Thanks, for the chance."
"I guess otherwise, hm... Is there any info you want spread, right now? Any warnings or news?"
Here, Marjorie's little fingers tighten a little around her mug, and she replies, "I have been dreaming of a circle in a circle, with spokes, of something that looks like an iron wheel but is not, and those horrible brutalist buildings that people keep putting up in the city. I keep trying to ... make sense of these symbols, but ... "
A tiny sigh. "Perhaps someone else could make better sense of them. I hope I am not too close to the matter."
At first circle in a circle notably makes them tense up--but as she continues to explain they relax and merely just look thoughtful. "Umm..." They hesitate a moment, then puff out a soft breath. "A Dream-Catcher, maybe?"
She pauses, then, and blinks once, twice. "Yes, perhaps," Marjorie allows. "I had not thought of it that way, but it is a similar shape. Perhaps I had not thought of it because -- "
" -- an iron dream-catcher."
And then she is very still, very silent, letting out a soft puff of air.
Lux frowns at that. "Uhh... An iron dream-catcher sounds... hella bad. Could that fuck up onieromancy, you think?"
"An iron dream-catcher can remove a mortal's ability to dream," Marjorie answers, barely above a whisper. "The last time I saw one of those was -- "
" -- oh, must be six, seven years ago." Perhaps not shockingly for a Winter, she does not offer any more details, but there's a subtle undercurrent to her voice, and she shifts her shoulders.
Lux frowns for a moment, giving a little nod. "Okay. And you mentioned... brutalist buildings?"
A small nod. "They're everywhere in the city now. The popular style of the new condominium is one which looks like it belongs in the Soviet Union thirty years ago, just with a new coat of paint. Like that, but ... a wall of them, almost." Marjorie opens her hands.
"Huh..." Lux chews at their lip a moment, then grimaces. "Uhhh, usually I hate feel like a, uh... tattle-tale, buuut... I think Robin knows something about this?"
A slight tilt to the side of her head, and Marjorie answers, "Surely not, she had nothing to say about it when I spoke with her last week." She sets aside the mug. "Surely... not." There's a tiny fringing of frost at the edge of her voice. "What would make you say so?"
"Weeell, Bobo--er, Asbolus--he had a meeting with her a week or so ago? And he mentioned he saw some files on her desk. One was labeled Dream-Catcher and others were like... talking about gentrifying projects or something? Erm... He said she got kind of irate when she caught him looking, quickly moved them out of sight."
"I mean I'm not trying to start drama," Lux says in a rush. "But this sounds kinda bad."
The Winter Regent goes very quiet indeed, and it's impossible to see her face, so it's kinda hard to get a read on her reactions. Finally, she says:
"I see."
"I agree, it does look -- less than stellar." Marjorie clears her throat. "Well. You will be meeting with her soon to find the location of the equipment, in any case. Let us call this a bit of -- investigative reporting, DJ."
Lux blinks, then nods. "Uhh, sure. I can do that. No problem." Lux flashes a grin, then pushes to their feet. "Thanks a bunch! This is equally exciting and terrifying!" It doesn't sound like a complaint.
"I'll let you know if I... uncover anything weird."
"That's how you know you're doing your job," agrees the Winter Regent. "You may take with you any Winter you feel will assist you, and if you -- yes. Do not put yourself in unnecessary danger. Not -- that I think that Robin is -- " And here she stops.
"I mean, I hope not. Maybe she's just doing the stubborn heroic martyr thing and trying to handle things herself to not put people at risk?" Lux shrugs. "Okay--cool, so I assume you don't want anyone outside of Winter involved in this at all, then? Would you prefer me not mention dream-catchers on air, for now?"
"I hope so myself," agrees Marjorie, perhaps a little too quickly. "I very much hope so, and that would be -- in keeping -- with the woman I know." And just said she trusts implicitly.
"I ... " And here she stops. "I leave that to your judgment and discretion, DJ. I should not get in the way of you doing your job to the best of your abilities and knowledge."
Lux considers that a moment, then bobs their head. "Got it. Thanks."
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