006a. Give and Take

In the aftermath of Pennons, Sophia and Braum get to know some of the attendees a bit better.

## Give and Take

### In-Game Date:

Wednesday October 4, 2017

Drinking water from the pond in order to heal his grievous (chimerical) wounds, Braum congratulates Sir Xaeron on fighting so well. He returns the compliment, telling Braum that he wishes he could have been able to help the denizes of The Spark drive off the dragon at Heart's Light. When Braum notices that the sidhe has several other changelings running interference for him in order to keep fans at bay, Xaeron tells him that while he certainly doesn't mind his fame, it "comes with the territory", and that one day, Braum will have it too. When Xaeron asks him if he *really* doesn't remember having met, Braum learns that the two apparently spent time together at Queen Laurel's court in Winnipeg… although the troll has no recollection of him there.

Sophia takes her time indulging in the festivities, earning accolades from Claude for inspiring the other freehold residents to action in creating such a memorable party. Sophia approaches Markus & Druelle to inquire further as to the "important information" they had for her. Apparently the sluagh are aware of the last known location of Zistor Flexx, but Sophia perceives that they are overestimating the value of their information. She proposes a time in the future to exchange information, hoping to come to a bargain with the two.

Braum takes his leave of Sir Xaeron for a few minutes, bumping into a very starstruck Cog, who was awed by Braum's fighting in the Grand Melee. The troll asks Cog about his interests, learning a bit about anime in the process; he promises Cog that one day, he'll be able to craft something as important as Braum's own sword, if he chooses to.

Sir Kenwyn approaches Sophia in order to thank her for the Pennons celebrations, to which Sophia replies that he is welcome back any time in order to be beaten again. Kenwyn is surprised by Sophia's bite, and she stresses that he should have taken more pains to respect her friend Patches at Heart's Light. Kenwyn explains that he meant no offense, but that Patches' service at Heart's Light is "to be expected"… she is a commoner after all, and meant to serve. When Braum approaches to wish him well, the knight congratulates him in return, but tells Braum that he "will never remember anything" he does, and walks away. Braum tells Sophia that their honour has been offended by the Ailil sidhe, but Sophia makes him promise not to act on his anger.

Small fireflies flickering all different colours suddenly surround Sophia, creating a delicate trail inside The Spark and up to her penthouse. There, she finds Kyoko waiting for her in a simple white dress, ready for anything. When Sophia explains to her that she sees sex not as a contract, but as a way of being creative, Kyoko replies that creating Sophia's dress was *her* way of expressing her creativity, but that sex can indeed be a sort of exploration. She asks only that Sophia not avoid her entirely afterwards, to which Sophia smiles: it might be impossible to avoid her entirely at The Spark! The two have sex, after which Kyoko seems awestruck, but still sad and distant. Sophia is unable to find out why, and is frustrated to know that she may never discover the whole truth from the pooka.

When Braum sees Kenwyn speaking to Cog, he decides enough is enough: rather than risk a scene at Pennons, he challenges the sidhe to a test of skill, knowing it will be almost impossible for him to refuse. Venturing down to the workshop, Braum discovers Little One out of her cell, desperate for attention. The troll places her gently near the balefire to sleep as he brings a dummy up from the workshop. Whoever can first remove all the pieces of armour from the dummy, he explains, will win the test of skill. Kenwyn agrees, cockily, but as soon as the challenge begins, he whispers a Dictum to Braum to throw the contest. The troll is shocked by this brazen display of dishonour as he struggles to avoid the Dictum. He attempts to disqualify himself from the contest by "accidentally" hitting Kenwyn, but catches him totally unaware, knocking him out cold. Xaeron arrives to help carry Kenwyn to the pond with Braum, now free from Kenwyn's influence, tossing him out into the middle to wake him up. Both knights have a good laugh at Kenwyn's expense as they venture back inside.

In Braum's office, the troll gets straight to the point: how is it that he cannot remember Xaeron from Queen Laurel's court? Xaeron sadly informs him that many of his friends are hopeful for his recovery of his memories, but that any mention of certain events have been proven to trigger a fresh 'round' of amnesia in the troll. If he tells him anymore, Xaeron fears all of Braum's memories of Pennons will disappear. Disappointed but understanding, Braum vows to uncover his history himself, and asks Sir Xaeron what it was like to have a crowd chant his weapon's name. The sidhe smiles, and offers to let Braum keep Whisper for a few days….