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The world is heavier than ever, and V has only one refuge from it all.
Her bedroom.
It's tucked into the basement of the Motley's home, and it's not particularly fancy- but it does feel homey, and a bit retro. Speakers have been hidden around the room for a basic surround sound deal, and Jackie's got a dock for her phone that plugs into the sound system, hidden in a vintage radio cabinet. At the moment, its playing some faintly scratchy mid-century tunes- currently?
Depending on inn's familiarity with old time songs being used in pop culture horror, this might be a spooky setup. But Jackie's just sprawled across the bed, staring at the Book of Leaves on the floor, her shadow flipping the pages now and then.
The weather is starting to get colder, so alas Lux can no longer walk around half naked. Damn changing of the seasons. But they're still in bright neons--a long sleeve crop top underneath a hoodie, torn jeans, and neon green sneakers covered in sharpie scribbles. Everything bright, everything clashing.
Someone had let them in, or maybe the door was left unlocked since it was known they were stopping by. Either way, the Darkling makes their way down into the basement. The shadows of the space deepen, if only to let their own glow fill the room instead. Gently pulsing and flickering out from them, like little fireflies leaving streaks of an aurora borealis in their wake, colors shifting from one to another hypnotically. Dream-like.
They give an idle look around the basement, taking in the retro look, but soon enough are focusing on Jackie. "Hey," they greet, voice dreamy-soft.
They were in fact let in, but- by all things- by Jackie's own shadows. With her room close beneath the entry, it's easy for her to do exactly that. A few ushering gestures, and Lux would have no issues descending into V's layer. "Hey. Hope you had a good night."
The Torrent rolls over and sits up. It's not the relatively effort-light movement one would normally use. She almost seems to just melt into herself and flow upright, it's so smooth. "Thanks for coming by. I don't- have a ton of places this side of things that feel..." She considers her words. "Restful?"
"It's alright," they reply, lips curling into a small smile. "I spend most of my time in my Hollow, these days." Sleeping. Dreamwalking.
They step further into the space, coming to sit on the corner of her bed. "I wanted to check on you. You... don't seem to be doing very well."
For a moment, Johnnie considers playing it tough, puts it off by nodding. "That tracks- you seemed absolutely fascinated by the ideas of Walking with Vasya. I can't blame you."
A few moments of quiet. There's plenty of room on that corner, Jackie's not overly substantial, really. She shifts to sit on the end of the bed beside them. "I'm not. Not really. I mean- I'll be fine in a few days, but. The thing with the attack fucking... wrecked me. I went from rock-steady to half insane in a heartbeat. If I'd misjudged in the other direction, if I'd left her standing and she tried again, I could have been redered comatose on the spot."
"I am fascinated." They stretch their legs out in front of them, leaning back enough to rest their weight on their hands.
"That... might have been the point. You're pretty hard to hit, yeah? Maybe you're easier to take back if your mind is... hurting." They chew at their lip. "I wish I knew how to heal someone's Clarity. Are you going to reach out to someone who can help..?"
"I can understand. Diving- it's... I love it. Going into Twilight, into other worlds entirely. I'd love to go, but."
A long pause.
"I'm a liability in dreams. I fight hard to avoid risking fucking up my Clarity, cuz my Wyrd comes after me as hard as it does towards everything else. I don't think I'd be easier to take when my Clarity gets low- but I'm more concerned about the opposite. Last time I got proper fucked up... I thought I was wearing my Silver Cord again."
In other words- in service to her Keeper.
"...Oh." Lux blinks slowly, staring at Jackie for a few seconds--then the twin green orbs flicker away, staring at a wall distantly. "...I see. I... get that, I think. My mind... reacts similarly, when it's cracked."
She nods slowly. "We got lucky. June pulled me out of it before I "figured out" who I was here to drag back. Some Helldivers are thieves. I was more of..."
From the sound of it- a bounty hunter.
"But. We won't always get that lucky, so my best bet is to make sure I never get that bad again."
She looked over at Lux at the admission. "Yeah. It's- bad when it happens. Worse when it ends. Feel that way for you?"
"I'm glad you were able to be pulled out of it quickly," Lux says softly. "Certainly worse when it ends, yes. In the moment... I have to admit, it doesn't feel... bad. It almost feels... good."
They sigh. "I mentioned last night that I have the Queen of Mirrors' light inside me. I used that to... reprogram people's minds. Through hypnosis, torture, the raw power of her light--I broke people and remade them to fit the role she wanted. When my clarity is damaged... I fall back into that role. It becomes harder to grasp that her light is mine now, and her influence comes through. I hurt people. I try to control them and bend them to my will. It has... caused some tension, in the past. But I've been lucky enough to have people around me who are willing to forgive me, when my mind becomes clear."
"I'm glad, too. I don't know if I could forgive myself if I ever went through with that." Johnnie listens closely, quietly. "That's gotta be so rough. You spend a lot of time helping people, I think. To find yourself abusing that trust in a manner you can't even strictly control... must be devastating after."
"Yeah. Part of me wants to think "well sure, they're forgiving. Happens to everyone. We all know how it is." But I'm still nervous that one day, I'll come back to myself and someone'll be missing, and there'll be nothing but cold stares for me.
If I'm lucky."
"You are powerful, Jackie... But I think you need to put more trust into your motley and family, too." They touch lightly against Jackie's arm. "They know what happens now, right? They know the signs. And they're here to pull you out of it... Or stop you. I understand that... the fear is going to be there, not matter what. But try to hold the confidence in them in there, along with it. Though... I pray that will never happen."
Their shoulders lift a little, clearly not the most comfortable talking about themself, but acknowledging Jackie's sympathy. "We all have different struggles. Fighting against her light is mine."
Jackie doesn't pull away, seeming to appreciate the gentle touch. "Thanks, Lux. It's- nice knowing I'm not the only one worried. And if you ever need tugged back from the edge, I'll have your back."
A moment. "It's been a while since I asked, but you've still got your own folx who'll do that for you, right? Like Jack, I think? Plus Fox would move worlds for you." Literally.
Their smile warms. "I do, yes. Jack is pretty good at knowing what I need, even though I rarely make it easy for him. And Fox... Well, she can literally read my mind. Sometimes I let her. Both of them help me quite a bit."
"I didn't know you two were a thing, speaking of Fox. Not that it's an issue. Just a curiosity."
"That does sound nice. Reading minds, I mean. Though I suppose I could sneak in while someone was snoozing and just peek around. That's not- entirely different!"
Jackie blinks and rubs the back of her neck. "Geez... yeah, we are. Have been for a while. She's wonderful, and understands so much stuff, and the fact that I think I couldn't hurt her long term if I tried helps a lot. Just- one last layer of eggshells I don't maintain internally."
"She's pretty amazing." Their lips twitch up into a grin--but then it sobers a little as Jackie continues. "That... makes sense. I can't imagine how that must feel like, like... you're having to hold yourself back all the time."
Jackie's quiet a long moment, then nods faintly. "I didn't even mean to kill that poor girl. I was just thinking- that if I hit her a couple times I could blind her so she couldn't control anyone. I assumed- correctly- that she was a vampire, and I knew they can take a lot more punishment than most others but- she was just turned. I guessed wrong once and it killed someone."
She takes a shaky sigh. "It's always like that. Trying to guess just how much to unleash without- that happening. That wasn't with my knife. It wasn't with my claws. Just- my shadows."
"It's not even fun anymore. Not a challenge. Just responsibility. And now there's more."
Lux winces in sympathy, but doesn't seem to really know how to respond to that. As they had grown closer to the Wyrd, their abilities had grown past human boundaries, but they weren't skills that normally hurt people. At least not so effortlessly.
Their arm slips around Jackie's, hugging it gently, their hand coming to rest against her wrist. Their fingers are cold but the touch isn't unpleasant. If nothing else, it's a touch that is unafraid of her power. "I'm sorry," they say softly.
She just... nods. Leans into the embrace. "Me too, Lux.
Me too." Shadows squeeze at them lightly.
"So... tell me about the coolest dream thing you did or saw? Just something new.
"Hmm..." Their head rests against Jackie's shoulder as they think. They had traveled through many dreams over the past year. It was hard to choose just one.
"I've done it... more times than I can truly count, now. But my favorite dreams are... dreams of flying. When I'm no longer limited by my body, and I'm just light. Moving at impossible speeds. Its a rush that being awake never... really lives up to," they murmur with soft longing.
Ooh. I love flying. It's not quite that level of unbound freedom, being leaves, but I do end up feeling deliciously light. Definitely not a fast as all that sort of method but- you gotta love the style.
Still- that's an amazing thing to have for yourself out there in the world. I wonder if like. Someone with a grain allergy could indulge in birthday cake In Someone else's dream..."
"Why not? Hell, why not in your own dream? Allergies are limits of the body. Not the mind. I suppose if its more of a... frailty thing, that would be different... But I don't think someone allergy to cake eating cake in their dream would hurt them." They pause a beat, thoughtful. "Unless they believed it would. Then perhaps their mind would make it real. Dreams are strange things."
Their head lifts, looking at her for a beat before asking, "You said last night that I had been on your mind...?"
"That'd be a fun little side business. Give people.dreams about stuff they can't have anymore. Or loved ones they miss or of being a kid... that'd be kind of a beautiful way to make a living."
Jackie blinked- nodded slowly, glancing away. "Yeah. The dreams... one's you, obviously. Thought you should know, but of course you know Fox, and she's with Vasya, so of course you knew."
She's quiet a long moment.
"I hope all this isn't something that needs fighting to resolve. If it is all ripples of a climax to come, a conflict with the Seers and the Exarchs... I hope it doesn't come to fighting cuz if it does..."
She breathes deep.
"If it does, how come I'm not helping."
Lux smiles dreamily. "I don't make a business out of it... but I do that sometimes. Harvesting through dreams is my favorite way, these days. Showing people what they miss... what their heart breaks to see... It's potent. Powerful."
"Oh... Right. That makes sense." They exhale a sigh. "Yes, that was one of the first things I deciphered, but... I still appreciate the heads up."
Their head tilts. "Why are you so confident that you wouldn't be helping?"
The thought of Lux performing dream therapy makes Vorpal smile faintly. "Yeah. I bet it does." A thought and she snickers. "Probably makes for good, healthy harvests, too, huh? Just soak in those vibes."
She gestures faintly. "I mean... there's so many other people referenced. Buidhe, Diamond, you, the Firebirds, Jack, the Red Rose freehold, the Children of the Tree- but not one thing about me. If the ripples are the tides of Fate catching on important nodes of change... why aren't I helping?
What if I'm not even around to help anymore?"
"I don't... know why we were chosen in the dreams. Or why our fates are being pulled. But I don't think it's because we're... fighters or anything like that. Me and Jack certainly aren't." They frown thoughtfully. "It's because we're being used as tools, Jackie. Something is pushing our fates how they want them. Maybe you weren't seen... not because you're not going to be there, not because you're not doing anything... But... because you're too powerful to control? Because your path is yours. Your Silver Cord is cut. You cut it, right? And that is... important, I think."
Jackie goes dead silent for a long moment after Lux speaks. Maybe an entire minute in still silence. Then-
"I didn't cut my cord, Lux. I didn't even escape. One moment I was in the Den of a Thousand Urges.
The next I was out. I didn't get out.
I was let out.
And I have no idea why, or why there's a Huntsman here to drag me back."
Lux is still for a few seconds, then winces. “I’m… sorry. I didn’t…” They trail off, looking away. “…it still makes sense to me. No matter how the cord was cut, or simply removed, it’s not there anymore. It’s still your story and stories are important.”
They sigh. “But maybe I’m wrong. I don’t know. Despite being a Diviner… all of these twists of fate are above my head. I had to have Fox’s magic helping me to even… try to understand what all of this meant. But… I dont think the dreams mean you won’t help—or can’t help.”
"You might be right.
You're PROBABLY right.
There's no way I'd let this slide." She wiggles her toes into the soft shag carpet for a moment. "I think maybe it's just my ego grumbling about not having my magnificent importance broadcast out to the world en masse. That and. Y'know. Having my Huntsman siccing goddamn Roman Vampire Ghosts on me to fuck up my brain. And I can't even go AFTER the fucking Roman Vampire Ghost Owl cuz if I do, he's gonna start targetting my friends and just taking them out until I go back."
"And... it's fine. I don't talk about it. I don't talk about any of this much at all. Most nobody else remembers everything about their Durance, so. I just. Don't talk about things."
Lux’s brows sloooooowly raise as Jackie goes into all of… that. “…Okay, what the fuck…” Stunned silence for a beat. “You’re gonna get the rest of DA to help, right?” They look worriedly at her.
“I don’t think it’s bad to feel ego bruised. But I really don’t think the dreams are pointing out… who is destined to be heroes.” They shoulder bump her lightly. “Plenty of space in Fate’s knot for you to stake your claim.” Then a grin. “You are more than welcome to be my hero.”
“I get it,” sobering again. “You don’t got to talk about it. But if you wanted to, I’d listen.”
For a moment. A tiny, brief moment,. stars flicker in Johnnie's cheeks as she laughs, embarrassed. "Holy crap, that's one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me! I can't very well let you down now, can I~?"
"Oh. 100%. Teagan HATES Vampires, and no way would anyone let me NOT let them help. I just need to find its Heart. Which... I think I might have a way to find it? I haven't experimented with Pathfinder yet, but it can find general hedge features. The Dreaming Roads are still the Hedge. So maybe I can follow Pathfinder to the nearest Huntsman's Heart? The only other way to find them is to find a Bastion with no key but the Viscount himself, or identify it by the perpetual nightmares and intrusive emotions from the heart." She rubs at her nose a moment, then looks up. "I don't suppose YOU'VE come across any such Bastions, have you?"
“No, you can’t,” Lux replies, light and playful. “I would be very disappointed.”
“Good.” They nod approvingly, glad Teagan will help—and less worried knowing the mirrorskin will get to kill things. “I’ve certainly come across plenty of nightmares, but… I wasn’t exactly looking for signs of a huntsman’s heart. I could look around for you, if you wanted?”
Jackie smiled gratefully. "I'd really appreciate that. I think I mentioned before, dreams freak me out. It's so easy to lose grip on things, and getting beaten over the sanity with my own power suck suck SUCKS. I wasn't kidding when I said I went half-crazy from that one mental intrusion."
“I think it’s… the opposite for me. Dreams feel closer to reality for me, these days. I feel more… free. Solid.” They look around the room slowly for a moment, as if reaffirming to themself where they are, then smile back at her. “I’ll take a look around. See what nightmares I can find.”
"Okay. Please be careful- though rest assured, I will absolutely dive in and Relentless Pursuit you until I find wherever you get punted if you get lost."
"I can understand that. All it would take to wander through walls here is just... let myself slip away. Melt into leaves. It sounds weird to say about reality, but it feels so much less... permanent. Than other places. Like they'll all still be there long after the world's time is up."
“See? My hero.” They grin again. “I’ll text you when I’m going searching, and when I wake up, so you know if I’ve gotten lost or something.”
“Mm… makes sense. I’m jealous of that, sometimes. The… effortlessness of… being what you are, and what you are not being limited by your body, that Elementals have.”
"Good. I'll come lookin' if you don't, so if I come up on you in the midst of an illicit morning of bedtime funtime, it'll be on your head!"
Jackie listens to the latter comment, and nods slowly. "I am... very blessed in that regard. That, and in knowing Teagan, who is more than happy to help everyone be exactly the person they want to be. But even then, you're right, there's something unique to being- wholly an essence as well."
Lux let’s out an amused huff that is not quite a laugh, but is close enough to get the point.
“Teagan is lovely for that. And don’t get me wrong—I love my body.” They smirk. “I have an amazing body. Just. You know. There’s limits.”
"There are. And only so many of them can be circumvented or engineered past. I think I understand what you're saying." She tilts her head back to peer at the ceiling a bit. "I know that it feels very special to be a part of what helps the world rest. Out of the insistent glow of the sun, taking one's rest in the embrace of darkness."
Lux is quiet for a moment, staring off dreamily. "...Mm. That's... a beautiful thought. I like that."
"I do, too. I spend so much of my time being prepared for violence, rehearsing my techniques or researching new ones- it helps to reconnect with the simple fact that as much as humanity is afraid of the dark... it's also when we choose to rest. So I try to view myself as part of that force, of ensuring the safe rest of as many as I can. Does that make sense, Lux?"
"That makes absolute sense." Lux's head bobs eagerly. "I think that's... a very important view of the world, and yourself."
"Thank you!" Jackie leans over an- if permitted- gives Lux a hug. "What about you? How do you view your place in the world? Or in its dreams, as it may be?"
It is permitted! Lux even returns it, squeezing around Jackie's middle. "My place..." They consider the question, pulling together the right words. "Inspiration," they decide, smiling softly. "Bringing... color to the world. Whether that's through my art, or through the dreams I weave. Though I admit it has been... harder, lately. To hold onto a place. My view of my role in the world is different than place, I think. If that makes sense."
Jackie's necklace gets warm, but that's no real alert, since Teagan's voice bounces down the stairs. "Ey, Johnnie! You got a visitor." The clattering of Teagan's boots down the stairs is likewise almost certainly totally deliberate, since the Mirrorskin can move incredibly stealthily when they choose to do so. They become visible a second later in the doorway, pause, and correct themself: "Another visitor."
Wearing a tank top and a ratty pair of jeans along with the shoulder holster for Baby (brand new, that one, a sleek charcoal leather which holds Baby against the left side of his body), Teagan pauses in the doorway, then steps aside and gestures to said guest to precede them into the room. "Ey, Lux." A tip-up of their chin toward the other Darkling, broken-mirror eyes glittering.
Ylva is wearing what is frankly pretty conservative for her. Its short shorts and a tank top, which is mostly skin but like its a lot for her, shows her mood.
"Thanks Teagan." She waves into the room a soft smile on her face. "Heya you. Nice to meet another person too."
"Bringing color to the world. That's a sincerely wonderful way to look at things." She did seem a touch caught off by the response about "place", frowning faintly. "Lux, you mentioned the real world's feeling less... real. Right? Do you think that might be something to worry about?"
Then, of course, the cavalry arrives. Jackie perks up, and offers a smile towards the door as two welcome faces arrive. "Teagan! Ylva! Welcome to my dungeon of "I-would-like-my-sanity-back-now-please. I hope you like the top and hopping hits of the 40s and 50s, cuz that's what I'm listening to."
Lux pulls back from the hug as they hear Teagan come down the stairs. They turn to smile at the Mirrorskin. "Hey," they reply, then give Ylva a curious look.
Vorpal's concern is left unanswered. Sorry, Jackie. The Winter ain't gonna talk about their totally legit potential weaknesses in front of strangers.
"Don't let me interfere," Teagan offers, leaning against the doorframe, one hand tucked into their pocket, the other hanging loose and lazy at their side, their silver wire and marble bracelet on their left wrist, absently shifting their shoulders as they adjust. "Johnnie could use a few more hugs." They nod aside at Ylva. "No worries."
"I was just getting in my own head and wanted to see how you were doing?"
She shuffles her feet a bit in the doorway. "Do you want a hug? I know its been a day."
Lux's omission is not unnoticed, and Jackie murrs quietly. "Later, then." as they prove uninterested in continuing just now. Which she does understand.
"Interfere? I expect generous interference of the hugging variety," comes her reply to Teagan. "And... you're right. It has been a day. So yes, Ylva, I would be glad of a hug- assuming you've washed your hands since last night?" Sometimes- sometimes- V gets mom vibes going.
"Hi... new person? I'm Lux." Lux pushes up to their feet, off of the bed, presumably to give Ylva plenty of room to hug Jackie. And also so they can step over to Teagan, tip-toeing fingers across their shoulder playfully. "How are you, hm?"
"Ah, this is Ylva. She's new. Like, new new. To freedom, to the Freehold. Still figuring out a Court." There are an awful lot of Mantles in this room right now, though Lux's, being Wintery, is probably the most subtle. Teagan's brings with them the scent of heat rising from the sidewalk, the baking of asphalt, and distant crackles of milspec radios, garbled voices calling for a medic who never answers.
Their eyes glitter again, and they curl up a corner of their mouth at Vorpal. "Oh, I meant with Luxhugs. Those are valuable." The Mirrorskin turns their head toward Lux with that half-smile that's the Teagan equivalent of a wink, bringing their hand up to brush a thumb along the Bright One's underlit jawline. "Better now," they droll. "You, dreamy?" Whatever Lux's nickname was before, it has been amended, apparently.
"Hi Lux, sorry." Her hand twitches up to her face pushing her hair out of her face and flattening her fox ears to her head. "You can call me Ylva."
She slowly scoots over to the bed flopping on the edge of it. "Repeatedly, had to stop when they started bleeding. I woke up with an empty market." There is a raised eyebrow and a hard smile. A hand and a tail reaching out for Vorp.
Teagan handles the intro while Jackie kicks herself for not introducing everyone to each other. Really, it shouldn't be a big deal, she's off kilter- but it stings a bit.
The room is, of course, redolent of Autumn as well, mingling with Teagan's to bring to mind Equinox bonfires and harvests plump from a long Summer. Where it tangles with Lux, it's a sense of Autumn leaves finally sliding to the ground and that delicious sharp chill in the air just before the solstice.
"Oh! Well. I've only had the one. Sounds like I'll need to start a collection!" Of Luxhugs, she means!
"Empty?" V rubs at her temples, but tugs her over to lean over the bed and rest her head on Jackie's thigh. "How muddy are your thoughts right now? I hope not as bad as mine."
Dreamy works. Dreamy fits. Lux's head tips into Teagan's fingers, eyes half lidding, forming green-glow half moons. "Very valuable. I should start charging for them. I'd make a killing."
"I'm well. Was checking in on Jackie." They lean against the wall beside Teagan, arms losing crossing, a relaxed and lazy slouch.
Laughter from Teagan, then. "You would, though having done work down that particular road, I don't recco-- well, it wasn't bad, just... " A shrug. It's probably nicer having hot firefighter girls pay your bills than doing any kind of mundane work at all. It would be. They keep an ear on the conversation between Vorpal and Ylva, one eyebrow rising at some of the things said, and slide their lean just a little bit to bump their shoulder against the Bright One's. "Good. She needs to be looked after, on account of her stubbornness."
Ylva squeeks a little bit as she is dragged onto Vorpals thigh but doesnt complain.
"Yeah, I kinda, ate, literally, every, single, one."
She shudders slightly looking down at her hands. "Lets go with only a little muddy but I dont really have much context for how its meant to feel." A shrug. "Its better than last night? Worse? Complicated?"
"Now hold on, I am not-"
Wait.
Wait.
The gears turn and though the scowl isn't really visible on ink-black form, one can sense the frustrated frown. "Eso ni siquiera está cerca de ser justo!"
It's not hard to guess she's whining about the statement being immune to argument without said argument supporting the accusation.
"... Ylva, sweetie, I really don't think you should replace them. That seems really, really close to just putting your durance on a white-washed repeat cycle. That can't be sustainable."
A long sigh. A glance at Teagan. "So- how's your day been Teagan?" She almost manages to volunteer to talk about last night, but fumbles just before the endzone.
Lux glances back at Vorpal and Ylva's conversation, a brow arching slowly as they... sort-of-maybe piece together the context of the conversation. No judgement shows on their face, at least. They make no comment, just staring for a beat before turning back to Teagan. "She does. Luckily, she has you, hm?"
"Un espejo solo refleja," Teagan fires back at Vorpal without even turning his head away from his conversation with Lux. The rest of the conversation has their head turning in a sort of odd concert with Lux: they both stare over toward the bed for a moment, totally still. The Mirrorskin's face is as blank as the mirror whose back his skin resembles. "Yeah, she's damn lucky. And in a minute, I'm sure she's gonna tell me what the shit happened."
That, apparently, is how Teagan's day has been?
Ylva hand scrunches at whatever coverings are on the bed.
"Yeah, I know, but. The alternative is a whole bunch of things that are even worse for me to eat. I had to stop myself going home last night after you left. Sustaining my ability to be vaguely functional right now is all im after."
There is a sigh as she notices the other two looking at them. "Little steps okay."
"Hrmph. I AM lucky. Lucky enough to get linguistically imprisoned!" With the truth. "It's a sham, I say! I demand a retrial!"
Fat chance. She doesn't seem even half serious anyway.
"And a mirror does lots more than reflect! At least half is even safe for polite company!"
"I- guess. I'm just not convinced your clarity will keep up with that kind of damage, sweetie. I'm just worried- especially if youre tempted to go back there."
Teagan insists upon the proper answer, and Johnnie nods, somewhat relieved.
"So- you wanna hear about how folx are gonna go to the Dream beneath the Dreams to try to figure out the dream epidemic; the ancient Roman vampire ghost owl that tried to make me kill my friends; or about the most successful experiment I've ever performed succeeding so well it's literally frightening me?"
Lux is already aware of what Vorpal has to say to Teagan, and for now seems content to just lean and listen.
It's difficult to see exactly where Teagan is looking, but at the moment, their face remains turned toward Ylva and Johnnie; one eyebrow rises up just so, like some sort of Vulcan first officer or something.
"Hmm." A soft grunt. "I want you to start where you think you should start."
"I know, just dont know what else to do."
She almost stops before raising her head up a bit. "Wait, what do you think I mean when I said home? I meant like my house Ironside not Arcadia."
There is a reason Johnnie is not a licensed therapist. Nor even a Spring with aspirations of Joyeux. No, she's just an Autumn being spooked by spooky things. "That's- not... okay, it's... technically better? But not by much. Like. It's marginally better to have consumed an entire market full of eager to be eaten hobs than to go home and eat your wife accidentally, but- we have to find you better coping methods. We'll work it out. There's an Autumn I think you should meet. The current Ghul. She's lovely, really, and will understand where you're coming from."
"Hm. Well, the simplest is the first bit. Apparently Lux and one of the Mages- Vasya, the one marrying the one I've been seeing, Little Fox. He's the one that offered intel on dreams on the message board- have crossed paths on the Dreaming Roads before. They want to repeat the experiment and they might, together, be able to get to some absolutely wild realms past the Dreaming Roads. Personally, I'm jealous. I'd love to go, but I don't- do- great with dreams."
Did you see the point where Teagan just went completely blank for the first paragraph of Vorpal's pose, there? Just, like, so completely no reaction? Yeah, that happened.
They turn their head to Lux, then, and grunt, looking back at Vorpal. "Sure, why not? Go onto the Dreaming Roads with a bunch of wizards. What could go wrong?" Their expression is deadpan, still, but more wryly so, and less zero reaction whatsoever. To Lux, then: "You'll tell us if you need stuff, right?" Teagan is not volunteering for that mission for many reasons.
Ylva shrugs trying to sound vaguely confident in her words.
"I feel like wanting to go home and cuddle my wife and not spend another night alone in my bed and my empty hollow come cage is a pretty normal response."
There is a slight pause before she continues. "Yes I know it wouldve been a horrible plan and yes I need to not eat entire Markets of Hobs to cope but like."
She just stops, scrunching her eyes closed and listening to the dream talk. Something that intrigues her but knows isnt her forte. (edited)
"I mean. It sounds like a good time to me. But I think anything that tries to kill me and I still walk away is a good time so. Bad metric there."
She notes Teagan's response and nods faintly, shrugging her shoulders. 'You're not wrong. But this ain't my wheelhouse,' that shrug says. At least she's trying.
"Soooo round two. Cut to me, Ylva, and Artie enjoying a nice, peaceful chat in an out of the way park after dark. Along come this- big mutton-choppy fella with a girl on his arm. Looked like- ... I mean, looked like the chick streamers that Glitch watches sometimes. Super-dyed hair, over the top personality, plus seemed totally drunk.
...
Riiiiiight up until she broke into my head and commanded me to kill my friends."
They grin at Teagan. "I'm sure many, many things could go wrong. But it does sound exciting, doesn't it?" They shrug. "If you or the others have access to glamour berries... It might be a good idea to take some. Oneiromancy can drain glamour fast, and I don't know how Harvesting will work in the place we're going, or how long we'll be gone."
Some things are reflexes, and sometimes, the Mirrorskin moves so fluidly that it's hard to actually see them moving. He doesn't have Vorpal's uncanny valley level of movement, but there's a burst of Summer heat, a pop-and-crackle of those radios getting briefly louder, and the Hedgespun machete simply isn't in its holster anymore -- now it's in Teagan's left hand, just like it was always there. "I see," they say, uncannily calmly, and then take one slow breath in and out, turning their attention to Lux and reflecting their grin back at them. "It does, that's true," they admit.
"Clearly you did not kill your friends, Johnnie, or we'd be having another conversation." But he stays looking at Lux for a moment longer before turning his attention back to Vorpal. "This is the vampire?" Just a Summer, holding a machete. It's fine.
"I'll go out on a few harvest runs. I should be able to furnish you with all the fruits you need," Johnnie reassures Lux.
"Quite perceptive! I did not murder my friends. Instead, the moment she was successful, my mind cracked so fucking hard it kicked her out." That... tracks. Elementals do not handle being forced to do things, and there are limits to that vampire boss-ery thing.
"After which, I, ah."
She clears her throat.
"I over-reacted. I thought "I will slap this bitch with enough shadows to knock her out while we deal with her buddy." And before I finished the thought, I had... permanently resolved that particular concern." She rubs at her forehead. "This wasn't the vampire. This was a girl, turned just that night specifically for the ancient Roman vampire ghost owl to wear as a face. She wasn't herself involved at all. Just wrong place, wrong time- and then dead."
A deep breath. "They'd paid a bunch of thugs to gun us down, but I was so furious after that mess that I marched towards them screaming and they all freaked out so hard they told us what they knew before just fucking off without firing a single bullet." Autumn is excellent at being terrifying.
"The other guy was the vampire working for the ancient Roman vampire ghost owl, who seemed totally brainwashed, and that's who turned the girl. The ghost apparently ran the fuck away after I killed her... body. But she's got lots of others."
Pause.
"I don't think it's over. The other guy explained they'd been hired by "some guy" to find the God of the Hunt and ruin my life. Considering what I know, I'm 90% sure that was the Viscount. So I can probably expect more fuckery from this owl thing. I don't know HER name, but they're called Strix."
"Oh, and the other guy turned into a bear and tried to maul Guy when we called him to come pick these two up. He made out just slightly better than the girl. I think Guy bit through the bear's sternum."
"I also have an Orchard if you need some more, they arent very tasty or exciting but they get the job done."
She just listens wincing a few times as Vorp talks, her teeth clenching as Teagans blade changes where it is.
Lux takes a side step away from Teagan, giving them pleeenty of room for their... menacing Summer postures.
They nod to Vorpal. "Appreciate that. Thank you." They frown as Jackie continues, having not heard things in quite as much detail.
An old weapon, its handle battered and worn but well-seasoned wood, stained with blood, the blade honed within an inch of its life -- Baby seems somehow more like a part of Teagan's arm, an extension of the Mirrorskin, than a tool. It's just so natural in their hand. "I don't know that killing someone when they try to make you kill people is overreacting," Teagan responds, because of course they do. The light in the basement clings to Baby's cutting edge -- later, Teagan will not blame Lux one bit for taking a step away from them. Right now? They didn't even notice.
"They, who? The vampire owl bullshit? And the thugs... left? So there are a bunch of random humans out there who you scared the shit out of and who saw ... God knows what... and they just... are out there?" There's no real anger directed at anyone here, just a sort of low-simmering wrath lacing the edges of Teagan's words, somehow hot and cold at the same time. Calculating. Assessing. "Cool, cool, great. Wonderful."
"You're welcome. Least I can do. And yeah, we can take any extra fruits you don't need, Ylva." A smile, best as she can manage, for Lux. A hand along Ylva's hair. She's not afraid. Teagans get angry about vampires.
"There wasn't anything for them to see. Nice thing about assaulting someone with the night itself is that it doesn't... really look like anything. They weren't in eyesight- the other guy texted them to come in once they knew it was me. And all I did was yell and inform them if I caught them doing shit like this again, we'd pick up where we left off." She rubs her forehead. "I'd just killed someone I hadn't meant to. If I'd knocked her out like I planned, she'd have at least gotten to have some sorta life, but." But because of Jackie, that didn't happen. "So when the thugs were willing to leave without taking pot shots at Artie or Ylva, I was just kinda grateful. I can't block bullets for other people, just avoid the ones aimed at me."
"Oh. The they that paid them was the turned girl and the brainwashed beardude. Sorry that I wasn't clear."
She leans into the contact, drifting off to an uneasy sleep. Knowing that at some point she will have to get up and go home but for now enjoying the peace.
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