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Sitting in the midst of one the garden in the Freehold Hollow, legs crossed and an acoustic guitar sitting across her lap, is Violette. She's playing a slow, intricate, rather haunting piece of classic guitar that she's more or less making up on the fly, and the sound of it drifts through the whole of the Hollow, played with such an impossible beauty that it would probably be stopping busy commuters in a subway station if she was playing there, instead of alone in a Hollow in the hedge.
That aside, she's dressed in jeans and a leather jacket much like she was the day before, with a different t-shirt on under the jacket. Not much else about her appearance has changed, except for the glow of the light within her which has faded so dim that it would look like some piece of the electronics powering it was broken, were she a real neon sign.
A voice picks up a counter-melody, rather without Ziv even thinking about it, from inside one of the cottages scattered around the Freehold Hollow. The Siren doesn't yet emerge from the building in which they are, but their voice is audible, picking up contrasting melodies and making harmonies with the otherworldy beauty which Violette produces from the strings of her guitar.
From the the entrance arrives a Winter Courtier, a woman with green, leafy vines as hair, emerald as her eyes and composed of wood and stone, like a tree groing from within a rock. She's wearing a black hoodie with a bulbasaur print in the front and 001 written in the back. A pair of jeans and black sneakers are on her feet. With one hand, she seem to casually juggle with what seems to be beads.
A short blast of cold air whirl around her when she stops not too far from Violette. She raise a hand in shy greeting to both Ziv and Violette.
For someone sworn to Winter, Adela is sure bundled up like she hates the weather. Which, in fact, she does. Even in her bulky jacket, her arms are wrapped around herself as she enters, though even slightly hunched, she's still exceedingly graceful. She is drawn, almost without meaning to be, towards the music, and thus the player. She's not dressed for dancing, but she does sway slightly to the music, caught up enough in it to have forgotten the niceties of, y'know, saying hello or anything
Violette's attention darts around when the voice joins her guitar, but it doesn't stop her from playing for a moment, it just results in a smile forming in the glass and neon of her face, visible in the play of the light within her. She upnods the Winter Courtier's way when she's waved to , and she looks at Adela for a moment as well, but she just continues to play.
There's nothing supernatural about her instrument, or about her music, but there is something superhuman to it. The speed and precision of her fingers, but also just the raw emotion of it. For someone with a mantle that leaves them surrounded by bright green moss where she's seated, it's a heartbreakingly sorrowful song.
But not that long of one. In a couple of minutes it's done, and she stops playing to quietly regard her audience.
It takes a little time for Ziv to be dressed for the outside, and by the time they've bundled up and are pushing out the door of the cabin in which they were napping, the song is over! But at least they're bringing out their hot chocolate in a thermos, right? "Who was playing?" they ask, but then it's pretty obvious who is, and they stop, wiggling their gloved hand at the assemblage.
Joy pockets the two beads she was fiddling with and claps her hand together in a round of relatively quiet, shy applause for the music and singing display from the unfamiliar faces. "Hi, that was very nice." her attention shift, for a moment, to Adela and offers another shy wave in greeting to them too.
"I'm Joy." A rather short introduction, for really short tree-girl. She bounces from foot to foot.
Adela shakes herself slightly as the music ends, and flashes the group an apologetic smile. "That was really beautiful," she says to Violette. "Your singing too," she adds to Ziv. "I'm Adela by the way. I don't think I've met..." She looks around, considering. "Any of you, really."
Oh hey, and Rieko follows Ziv! She doesn't seem sleepy, so maybe she was just watching over Ziv while they napped. Oddly enough, she's still dressed in summer-y clothes -- but this time she's armed with a very large, glowing odachi, and a big bowie knife on her hip. Boop! Hello.
Violette answers the compliment with a nod, and answers Ziv's question by raising a hand to wave at them. She leans to the side to put her guitar into its case, then stands up and brushes her butt off with her hands before they start moving through signs.
"Do any of you know sign language? Other than you, anyway" the latter part of which comes along with a nod toward Ziv.
Leaning up to kiss Rieko on the cheek, Ziv's fingers flicker in response as they also speak. "Well, you know that I do. I don't know about anyone else," they confess. Ziv is all bundled up, a counterpoint to Eko's summery clothing, and they lean against her comfortably.
The hand motions draw her attention to the fact that Violette can't talk or hear her. She pulls out a pen and a pad from her pocket and writes down a thing on it. 'Hi, im Joy'. And shows it to Violette.
Her attention then shift, distracted by the sizeable woman behind Ziv, her eyes widening in a mixture of awe and maybe a bit of fear? "I'm Joy, huh... hi..." she looks back to Adela, waving her way.
Adela's been hanging around the Hollow enough that large people with weapons don't... frighten her, per se. And it's not like she's a slouch in a fight if she has to. But she still gives Rieko a very respectful nod of greeting. Then, because apparently today is a day of not really thinking before speaking she asks, "Aren't you freezing?"
Oh yeah, if Rieko's size (or, rather, the size of her horns) are intimidating, try not to think about the crushing pressure of her ridiculously high wyrd. She adopts a lazy hip-cock, and rests a hand upon the hilt of her knife like some kind of movie cowboy might as she leans into Ziv. "No, not really. I'm used to a much, much cooler climate than this -- and it helps that my mantle is pretty sweltering. Sorry in advance for anyone who's bundled up. You'll probably get a bit sweaty until I leave." Her eyes dart to Violette, and she shakes her head no before taking care to at least speak where her lips might be read. "Sorry, friend." Then turns to Joy, noting the possible fear. "Forgive me, I'm just built this way... but don't worry, I've been conditioned as a protector. You've no need to fear me."
Violette doesn't really seem to be surprised by most people not knowing ASL, she kind of expected it, but she looks a little disappointed anyway. Not so much at anyone, as just in general. When she continues to sign she whispers, as loudly as she can without actually letting her vocal chords engage. Whether she won't allow them to, or she's unable, that's less clear.
"I can hear, don't worry. Nice to meet you all. I'm Violette." It's both signed and whispered, the same meanings, although she spells the name out when she signs. The dual-mode communication continues. "It's fine to call me Vee, if that makes it easier."
Rieko's crushingly high Wyrd doesn't seem to be an issue for Ziv. Maybe they're just used to it. Make your own 'being crushed by a huge hot lady' jokes here. "I'm always sweaty when you're around," Ziv answers impishly, though they stay bundled up. Water freezes, after all. Their solid black eyes focus on Joy and Adele in turn. "Have we met? I'm ... a little bit of a flake, I'm sorry. I'm Ziv Altshul, and this is Sato Rieko." Their Spring Mantle curls up delightedly around Eko's legs and spreads out across the snow, little tendrils of sweet-pea vines and the sweet smell of spring rain falling onto cool water.
"Thanks for reassurance, Also, that is a big sword."
Joy tilts her head to the side, her gaze turning to the weapon for a moment. When Violette start moving her hands and whispering, she looks over. "Ah okay, I don't speak ASL, but I'll see if I can ask a co worker to teach me, at least a few words. Pleased to meet you, Violette."
"Hi Adela." Spoken softly as she bounces a little bit on her heel
"I'm Joy, silent arrow and pretty okay at darts." She reintroduce herself when Ziv prompts her with their question. "Please to meet you."
Adela's smile is just a little sardonic. "I like warm." Though she does undo the front of her jacket. "Warm's good." She lets herself flop onto the ground, though with more grace than the word 'flop' usually implies. "Still a Page of the Long Midnight." She looks thoughtful for a moment. "I really should work on that. I keep getting distracted. But yes, it's nice to meet you all."
"Oh," Rieko offers a little chuckle, tearing her eyes off of Ziv. The ominous sound of a distant thunderstorm crackles in concert with her laughter. "Sorry, I should've introduced myself. Thankfully someone's head is on straight. Or..." She gestures vaguely at herself and her partner, very clearly Not Straight. "Something like that."
She leans forward, offering her hand in greeting as introductions continue. "Please just call me Eko -- Page of the High Noon -- and it is a very big sword, thank you for noticing."
"Oh yeah, still a page of the long midnight too." Joy points to Adela, as if that made her recall to introduce her title too. "Will do, Eko." she fishes the two beads from earlier out of her pocket and start casually fiddling with them, causing no sound in the process, as she passes them from one hand to another. "Anything special happening lately?" she ask loud, for anyone to answer.
Adela laughs in response to Rieko's sword comment. "If you were male I'd ask if you were compensating for something. She leans back a little, not entirely relaxed, but getting there. "It's been quiet," she says in response to Joy's question. "I'd almost say too quiet, but one, I don't want to invite misfortune, and two I think Autumn's dealing with something." She shakes her head ruefully. "I really have been a bit out of touch"
"Admittedly, I've been rather out of touch, too. I've... been struggling with a few personal changes, but I seem to have wrangled them as best as I possibly can." Rieko tilts her head to the side, as if noticing something. There's a creepy few seconds, like when a dog looks intently at an empty space in your home. "Quite frankly, I was hoping that I could glean more information."
She offers a small puff of laughter, and scratches the back of her shaggy white mane of hair.(edited)
"It's nice to meet all of you," Violette signs. She leans down to pick up the soft guitar case and slings it onto her shoulder, slips her other hand through the other strap so it's on like a backpack. "I just moved here," she resumes once her hands are both free again. "I don't know what's going on here much, except for rumors that a number of people who spent time in the same place as me are here."
"Yeah that seem to be a common occurence around here." Joy replies to what Violette just whispered, her attention drawn to it. "Hopefully that helps." and then a look toward Adela. "Speaking of out of touch, I have a phone number to share if anyone need to relay information to me." she pulls an older phone out, as if to demonstrate, then pick up the pen and pad, starting to write down. She bounces her right foot a cool draft starting to swirl around the bouncing feet.
"... I think, I think I know who you're ... who... yeah. And if that's the case, then, you know, there are a bunch of us around here." Ziv chews nervously on their lower lip, leaning against the tall oni for warmth and comfort.
"I can't speak for the rest of us," came the abrupt voice of Autumn's Johnniest Helldiver as she faded into existence, "But I'm working on something, at least." Context provided in the sweep of Autumn leaves that rush in to herald her presence before she even fully materializes. Rieko's colossal Wyrd does wonders to make her at least a touch less imposing, but nothing to soften the clearly inhuman way she moves, the total absence of natural minor reactions, or the sense that she has eyes in the back of her head. Vorpal's A Whole Thing.
Well, there goes Adela's relaxation. She sits back up, not quite nervous, but a bit more on alert, the lightning under her skin flashing a bit faster. She turns her attention to Violette to give herself something to focus on. "I think this freehold attracts folks who've... been through similar stuff." Ah, the fun of talking around painful memories. And painful lacks of memories.
Weird that Rieko just happened to be looking at the space that Johnnie manifested at a few moments earlier. Probably there's no correlation there. Probably.
Rieko tilts her head to the side again, staring at Violette for a long few seconds. She'll let Ziv's statement stand, rather than chiming in.
"I think that might be the case, Ziv," Violette says and signs, signultaneously. "We'd have to compare notes, and that's something that would be entirely up to you." She waves to Joy on her way out and offers a parting smile. "I think you're right, but also that people who shared those experiences tend to gravitate to each other."
She turns to look at Johnnie, gives them a small nod, and whisper/signs, "good to see you again."
As Violette signs, Ziv faithfully translates for everyone, and as they talk, they sign at the same time. That's how people learn, after all. "See you later, Joy! It was nice to meet you!" Ziv offers a sort of wobbly little smile to Violette. "I think we probably should, and since... oh, I think I'm the only one of us who's a Joyeux, I probably... should."
The appearance of Johnnie gets a gentle smile. "Hello, Jackie. It's nice to see you again." It's been a while since Ziv hid from Johnnie under the water and wouldn't come out, so apparently now it's nice and everyone's friends!
Johnnie is well accustomed to folx reacting cagily to her presence and/or arrival, and yet- something in Adela's reaction manages to provoke a minor visible reaction, a faint furrow of the brows which she leaves unaddressed. Rieko eyeing her before she fully arrives gets a nod of acknowledgment, and she favor Violette with a subtle quirk of the corner of her mouth. "Pleasure's mine, V."
"It's good to see you, too, Ziv. How are you? And everyone, for that matter?" That little furrow stays on her forehead, even as she tries to smile to soften her presence's apparent impact on the others.
Adela gives Joy a good by wave, and then shifts a little, almost as if she's trying to force herself to relax. This is the Freehold after all. If she's not safe here, she's not safe anywhere. "I'm doing about as well as ever, considering the temperature keeps insisting on being cold." She tries to make it a joke, but again, the flickering of her light gives away agitation. "I really should move to Florida or something"
"I actually intend to serve the Freehold as a Joyeux as well," Violette says with a burst of enthusiastic sign, and she forgets to whisper along with it this time, but remembers a moment later when she continues. She snerks a little and points Adela's direction before she signs, "I'm not the biggest fan of the cold, either. I was getting used to LA winters." Her loud whisper comes along with the hand motions. "Florida is too humid for my taste."
Rieko offers a slight little wink in response to Jackie's nod. The oni wraps her arm righter around Ziv for a moment, but then tucks her her hands into the pockets of her poofy pants. "Big fan of Florida, personally... but given that my mantle is mostly thunderstorms and humidity anyway, perhaps I'm just not as annoyed by it's particular summer-y charms."
Well, the Freehold Hollow has been attacked in the past, so it's not like Adela's nervousness isn't logical, after all. "Well, that makes sense," agrees Ziv with Violette, giving a subtle little smile. They seem relaxed enough with everyone present, though this may be a function of the people present rather than the locaion. "I'm good, Jackie, thank you. It's cold, but it's nearly Winter, so... " A pause. "I just make the best of it by requiring more snuggles than usual." Case in point, Eko's arm around them.
"The temperature can be convinced to be otherwise, if everyone's of a mind? Does everyone want a reprieve from the pre-Winter chill for a bit?" Johnnie gave the impression of looking at each of her fellows, though which she was looking at, at any given point, is hard to say through those eye-swallowing shadows across the top of her face. "Or would that be too much of a good thing? Or just a shame to waste an excuse to snuggle?" That's aimed at Eko and her mermy partner.
With Ziv's translation, Johnnie offers Violette another barely-there smile. "Excellent career choice. Not a field that can oversaturate in a society created by trauma."
With Adela's crackling tension still as obvious as a billboard to the overly aware Elemental, Johnnie does her best to keep her movements to a minimum, attempting to spare her further anxiety as best she can. Which... might backfire, as it essentially reduces her to a noodly, scarred statue that speaks now and then.
"Maybe I need to get a Summer of my own" Adela says with a half smile. "Then again, I've always been bad at relationships." She sighs and her inner flickering slows slightly. "Cold just... brings back memories."
The light in Violette flickers a couple of times and settles into a steady, dimmer glow, which is accompanied by a couple of hesitations in the motions of her hands as she replies. "Whatever others are most comfortable with." She says with a shrug. "I'm alright with the temperature right now." She sighs softly before she turns toward Adela and says, with the whisper but not the signs this time, volume turned up on the whisper as loudly as she can make it. "I'm with you on the bad relationships thing. I don't make good choices there, historically."
"I have it on good authority that there're a number of excellent Summers in this Freehold." Rieko offers a subtle little quirk of her lips, and her snake-like tongue flits out from between her lips. Blep. "Though probably making better relationship choices would be a good move, first." A beat passes as Rieko looks off into nothing again. "I'd be fine with changing the weather. This cold isn't really bothering me, but I want everyone else to be comfortable -- and I'll be comfortable regardless."
"There are several delightful Summers in this Freehold, and I can highly recommend acquiring one of your own, or more than one of your own!" Their nose wrinkles up delightedly, and they sort of wriggle happily in place, and bump their head against Eko. "I would be happy to change the temperature, or not. Whatever makes the largest number of people happy!" A small smile flickers across their face. "There are a lot of good choices to make here, too. Mostly good people, really."
"Being in- well, I feel it'd be more accurate to call myself in the possession of as many Summers as I've got limbs, I feel uniquely qualified to confirm that to be a generally positive life decision," Johnnie adds to the discussion of the Season's courtiers. "Have to agree with the assessment that preceding that with better choice to be a wise one, though."
"I think most folx make bad calls on that front when they're starting. I did. Awful ones, honestly," Johnnie admits easily, like she was discussing spilling the milk the other day. She cracks a tiny smile to see that delighted little wiggle against Eko, finally losing the furrow between her eyes. "Seems that everyone is at worst neutral to a warmer temperature," Johnnie observes as her shadows huddle behind her, conspiring to something. As they do, she concludes, "Allow me."
One shadow alley-oops another into the air, then boosts another up behind to push the first higher in an absurd chain that reaches what must be a good three stories into the air before the highest shadow seems to think it's high enough, and punches the night sky. Its fist catches in the fabric of the evening before the narrative bends to Vorpal's whim, and the starry evening whips out of view, replaced by a clear blue sky with a summer sun overhead, chasing away the chill for the moment. It won't last long- the Hedge will, after all, reassert itself over the momentary change once Johnnie is no longer wedging that door open, so to speak, but it's enough to let Adela relax and Ziv roll down to however many layers she'd truly prefer!
Johnnie cracks a genuine smile, preening at the over-the-top display gone well as her shadows rain back down around her in various acrobatic poses as if they had actual bodies to risk in the fall (which of course they do not). She bows her head momentarily. "I hope the new temperature suits everyone," she murmurs graciously.
Well, that was certainly an impressive display! Adela gives Johnnie an appreciative look. “That’s a neat trick” she says while pulling off her winter jacket and tucking it as a cushion under herself. Then she shrugs, somewhat self-consciously. “It’s not that I’ve made bad choices before. It’s just I never really had time Before” The capital letter in clear in her tone. “And now...”. Another shrug
"Snuggling doesn't necessarily require a relationship," points out Violette. "Which means they might be on the table in the near future. Relationships aren't until it wouldn't just be a rebound." She gives Johnnie a curious look before asking, with sign and whisper, "in possession of? That makes it sound like a gang of them got together and shoved you in a locker or something." She looks up at the sky after its shift, adjusts her guitar-backpack's straps, and shifts a little. "The temperature is fine, but I should probably go. My driver is going to start wondering why I've been gone so long."
Rieko's hand leaves the hilt of her knife for long enough to offer Jackie a little golf clap. Her eyes glitter at the display -- and at the noted shift from furrowed brow to cocky smirk -- but unfortunately it doesn't last long. "Tragically," she offers in an exaggerated tone. "It's nearly time for me to hit the grocery store. If I leave now, I'll have just enough time to get in and out before they close -- and we're out of eggs at the apartment. I eat... so many fucking eggs."
She leans down (careful not to hit anyone with her fucking glowing antlers) and gives Ziv a little smooch on the cheek. "It was lovely meeting you both," she offers to Adela and V. "It was good to see you again, Jackie. I'm looking forward to patrolling again." Then finally, she smooches Ziv again. "I'll see you at home, Sea Sparkle."
Smooch on the cheek? No, Ziv flings their arms around Eko's neck and lays a big old smooch on her. They're scrawny and can't hold her in place, but they can certainly climb her like a tree, and do so for a moment. Smooches! "See you at home, Cowboy. Please buy me some dark chocolate?"
Sorry, other people were talking? No, apparently not. Was anything else happening? No, sorry, just Ziv's cheeks blushing pink neon scribbles as they look up at Eko with big dark eyes and stare after her, sighing besottedly. And watching her butt.
"Why, thank you," Johnnie murmurs in Adela's direction. "The trick can be learned. Mostly, it's about knowing how to use what you're good at to convince the Hedge to Be Differently. It can be fun to get creative with that. And- honestly, bad-absent is better than bad-catastrophe when it comes to relationships. You can always make up ground on the first one."
She nods slowly, approvingly, when Violette points out that a relationship is not a prerequisite to a snuggle. As for the Summers? "Well, I surely didn't go out looking to collect them. One just happened after violence, the other I actively courted because she was already with the first- still don't know how that ever worked, she's always been way out of my league- the third became Summer AFTER he was involved with the first, and the fourth- honestly, I don't remember how she got woven in but I'm not going to complain about the hot-ass movie star-cum-fire fighter valkyrie. I don't need to explain her arrival to appreciate it happened! So- honestly, shoved in a locker isn't really all that far off from the truth, since most of them Just Happened to me." Some strains of genuine warmth color her tone when she talks about her significants.
"A pleasure to see you, too, Eko. I'm looking forward to patrols as well. And Violette, the pleasure was mine- please enjoy your evening. We'll talk again another time."
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