SIlver and Glory meet SummerStroll

Characters in this scene: Sally (Summerstroll), Glory, Silver

Editors Note: viceVersailes is Sally (SummerStroll)'s player - anytime you see them speaking, that is who is being played.

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

The treeline breaks at the foot of a steady hill. The rays of High Summer's facsimile of the sun catch on the grass of the field, blessing it with a rainbow sheen born of glamour. What appear to be perfectly regular sheep amble about the hillside, grazing, and uncaring of your presence. There is no fence to keep them out of the forest. At the top of the hill is a wood cottage, built half-way into a tree taller than the stout second story. The house is partially on stilts to accommodate for the hill's slope. A small pen with a thatch roof juts out from the building's side, and on the porch, a woman is rocking back and forth on her chair.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"So this is High Summer?

You know, I’m always surprised by how normal everything looks in the Fae Realms."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver is in armour today, or *seems* to be; she keeps to the general ideal of a young white woman, but she's armoured in blue metal scale and a hooded white cloak, hiding from the sun. Silver patterns wind down the cloak. She grins at Glory as she heads up the slope. "What, you expect Faerie to be utterly fantastical and unbelievable?"

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

“Kinda, yeah.” Glory was in her usual outfit, which made her stick out like nailed down thumb next to Silver. A reddish-pink t-shirt depicting a strange panda and an unknown anime character, a short skirt and muddy boots, and Fanny pack at her side. Her face was obscured by a pair of sunglasses and a baseball cap.

“So, where is the pseudo-faerie?”

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

A soft breeze brushes you both, fluttering cloak and t-shirt in a very aesthetically unnecessary manner. On the wind, coming from the cabin and the woman sitting on its porch, you smell... fast food. Heavily fried and salted fries.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory breathes in deeply through her nose. “Yeah, now that is what I call a picnic!” She runs down to the cabin, ahead of Silver

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver laughs and follows. "Don't eat the fries, Glory!"

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

“Don’t worry, I’m using a condom!” She yells back to her.

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

Either hungering for sweet salty goodness or worried for the indulgence of Faerie Food without appropriate protections taken, you both sprint up the path to the cottage.

The woman waiting for you- a mighty McDonald's haul in front of her- is hard to place in age and nature. Hard wrinkles and bright eyes obscure the distance between twenty and fifty years. Warm gold skin that sparkles with the tell-tale saturation of glamour is framed by a tight ponytail of greying blonde hair. She's too solid to be Faerie, too unearthly to be easily called human. A shepard's crook is propped up on the table next to her, and a sword with a rusted hilt sits at her hip. She has a warm, matronly smile and the build of born-athlete, broad shouldered and fit. She gestures toward the food. "By our oaths, I offer in hospitality... Maccas."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"Ah. Hospitality, then. Alright." Silver sounds *highly* amused. To Glory, "Though I must point out that condom of yours didn't save you *last* time, why would you expect it to work *this* time?"

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Hey, condoms are only 98% effective!" Glory protested, with a grin on her face. "Just because you and Grey broke it by shoving your rod too hard in, doesn't mean it'll always fail!"

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver shakes her head fondly, turning her attention to Stroll. "SummerStroll, then? I wish you good day. I'm called Silver, and this one here's called Glory."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Aye," Glory gives her a thumbs-up.

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Call me Sally," the woman says, the smile steady. "The food's all yours, it's wasted on me."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory leans in, sniffing toward the food. "This is safe, right? You got this at an actual, Innocent-run McDonalds? It's not going to pull me into Fae Path the moment I bite into it, or hours after?"

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She tuts and wags a finger. "That would be in violation of our oath of nonviolence, and so I could not have offered the grub in its name at all."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Cool. Let's dig in." Glory rubs her hands and sits down to eat. She pulls out a used napkin, and tucks into the front of her shirt.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver takes her own seat, but for once, is less mannered than Glory, given she literally just reaches in and grabs a handful of chips. "Thank you for your Hospitality, Sally," she says, and takes a bite.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Yeah, thanks. You're pretty cool."

Glory starts digging into the food.

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She nods slowly. "I'd like this to be the start of a good thing. And I'll gladly give the offer to suss things out between us its due."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"You know, I like McDonald's, I really do, but you know what I *don't* like?" Glory can barely say with her mouth stuffed. "The fries. The fries are too soft. Now, that's not on you Sall, I just don't like putting these limp-dicks in my mouth. I like them nice and hard, with a satisfying CRUNCH!"

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"Crude," Silver remarks, but her tone doesn't identify if that's a good or a bad thing. "I like the soft chips."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She tilts her head. "There's burgers with the lot in there somewhere if that suits your preference. You could also try chewing some wood."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Oh yeah, I've put some nice and hard wood in my mouth before," Glory winks at her.

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She winks back.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"Don't like Macdonalds, Sally?"

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Love it. But it doesn't go down right anymore. Too used to Faerie goon." She leans forward and rests her elbows on the table. "But we're not here to fuck spiders I don't think. Where do we want to start about this Abyss business?"

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Why'd you going down there?" Glory asked, stuffing her mouth with a hamburger. "I mean, I know'd yah said that you were pretty impervious to it, but the Abyss still not a place anyone can just walk in and out of easily."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Nah, yeah, Grey gave me a pretty straightforward job with a few easy outs I could see, in return for a boon that'll make the job even easier that I can use in the future and a reward that'll go towards getting me settled for life. I don't think it'll be easy. I do think it'll be worth it."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"You said he mentioned that other people were going down there."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"And wouldn't say what for either. Made me think there was something etch about the whole business. That said, I'm struggling to think of a reason he wouldn't wanna share. He couldn't say he didn't know, that's what caught my attention. But I can't hack why he'd keep it from me if it matters for the job."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Why'd he bring it up?" Glory asked, wiping her mouth with the used napkin. "Better phrased, in what context did he mention this other group? As enemies to watch out for?"

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"I was pushing him on it. He cracked out a description of the place he wants me to go walkabout in, drawn from some website or anotha. Said something along the lines of 'when *we* go there.' I asked who's we, he wouldn't say."

"Now, if I may ask, why're you two so interested in my business?"

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory burped, and glanced at Silver.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver looks at Glory, then shrugs. "Well, you did rather accuse us of *being* that group, so I imagine that metaphorical cat is out of the bag. We're rather... invested in knowing what Grey is up to, besides, given how tangled up he is with us."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"And why would that mean you want to go to part of the Abyss that he wants fucked up?"

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"Information. We believe the Abyss has information which we want."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She rolls her hand in a lazy "care to elaborate?" gesture.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Now, that all depends on how this conversation is going to go" Glory said, now loudly munching on the pathetically-limp fries. "Are we going just going slowly poke and prod each other with questions and half-answers for the next hour, or are can we just going to both spill the beans on all that we know right now and get this over with?"

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver snorts. "We want to know if we can be allies with you," she says, amused. "You don't appear to have been recruited as a straight-out antagonist, which feels like a distraction. But I'm happy to take advantage of that fact, nonetheless."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She takes a deep breath. The same lazy hand trails down to rest on the pommel of her sword. "If the feeling's mutual, I'll tell you all the details of the job I got and how I intend to do it, so long as you'll tell me what information you're looking for and any other business you have in the Abyss at the moment. And to sweeten the pot, I'll tell you what personal business I have down there too if you do."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver glances at Glory.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory loudly slurps her soda, but her attention is now razor-focused on Sally. She glances to the side at Silver, and nods.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"Oh, very well then. So there was an incident a while back with a technomancer called Stella; Glory called a bunch of us in. I was brought in to call in *Grey.* Unfortunately, I'm not as much of an expert as I hope to be, and Grey took the opportunity to, during the Stella hunt, open up a number of entrances to Faerie which he wishes to take advantage of once they fully open up. We want to know where they are, and are reluctant to bargain further with him; he currently has a piece of my Self which he values rather more than I am comfortable with, honestly. "During the fight with Stella, her demesne went into the Abyss. We have reason to believe that Stella would have records of everywhere she went while hunted by Grey, and hence records of all the possible gate locations."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

Sally stares you both down for a moment. Then she grins widely and earnestly, pearly white teeth revealed. "Well fuck, why didn't you say so? We're not at odds at all then." She leans forward conspiratorially. "Grey wants me to kill as many of Stella's Nex Machina as I can and desecrate her Demesne, do my part in making sure she and it and they never come back to cause the same trouble again. I see no reason why you guys can't drink the Server dry of info on these entrances before I break it best I can."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"Of course, this implies that Grey recruited you to *help* us. Which is a fascinating thought."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Yeah, nah, he was trying real hard to send me down there before you kids got going."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"I guess it would be boring for him if we fuck off and died in some other Realm."

"Are you capable of killing the Nex Machina?" Glory asked. "There are a lot of them that got caught in the fall, and they aren't easy killings. I've heard people refer to them as 'Glitch Gods'.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"'Yeah, nah'? Is that a yes or a no?"

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"'Sa no," she says dismissively, then shrugs at Glory's question. "Doesn't matta. I only evah said I'd give it my best shot. And I'm confident that I've got enough failsafes to not die in the doing."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"So we're... in accord?" Silver sounds *confused* by this.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Yeah, we are." Glory says, shrugging, still slurping her soda.

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She straightens up, body language going from sunburnt farmer to haughty noblewoman. "We are, for all appearances, in accord, yes." She slumps back down with a chuckle.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"... huh." Silver digs out a burger from the massive Macdonalds bag. "Excellent news."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"You said that you had your own, personal reasons for going down there," Glory said, leaning back against her chair, rocking back and forth on its hind legs.

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours," she drawls.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory laughs. "What, you think we're going down there for some sightseeing? We already said why we're going down there, and once that's done, we're getting the fuck outta there as soon as we can."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

Her laughter matches your own. "Yeah, figured I was a bit on my lonesome with wanting to go down there myself."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver doesn't laugh, considering Sally thoughtfully.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory gives a look at Sally. "Hey, you're not like, immortal are you? Like, you're actually a thousand years old or some shit."(edited)

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She shakes her head. "I've not been counting- doesn't work- but I'm only ageing slower, not not at all. I was born in July 1977, if that helps."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory nods. "Then I guess the time dilation's not going to effect you that much then."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

“If I go down there I can call out my mother for not loving me.” Silver’s words are quick and bland, and her gloves clench; she exhales harshly, before abruptly settling into a grin. “Personal reason. Now yours?”

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory's eyes widen, and she takes another sip of her soda.

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She smiles. "Don't give more than you need to kid. I was already going to tell my tale. Try and get more with less, I've found that works right."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver wrinkles her nose. “I misunderstood the situation then. It’s fine. More info for Glory is enough.”

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"See all this?" Her arms go wide, and she encompasses the cottage, the farm, the area as a whole. "Won it off my mentor. He'd probably have given it freely if he wasn't on the way to winter. Wanted to die alive, by the sword, like when he was young." She gestures to the wooden stave that's been propped against the table since you got here. "Crook was his, now it's mine."

"And this ring?" She shows her hand, calloused as any fighter or farmer's. A silver band wraps the ring finger. "S'mine. Keeps me myself, used it to stay human when Spring wanted a soldier."

"And Grey? He's offering me two more pieces for a puzzle I've been building up to for years. Greaves, freely given, that cement your place and station, let you stand against the tide. His word that this place is mine and not his- that's important because he's Spring, and it'd be more proof I'm not Spring's anymore."

"I go down into the Abyss, I come out alive and victorious, and I declare this place my Demesne. Not my mentor's, not my grandmother's, not the Faerie's. Mine. And I'll finally have my place in the world more than anyone can argue."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory's sipping gets louder as she nearly empties out her cup. She just stares at Sally, examining her closely.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

“Quite the tale. I’d love to hear more.”

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"And I wouldn't mind sharing it, truth be told. It's a story I want told, and I'd like it to have a happy ending too." She shakes her head. "But I've got a lot of stories to tell, and I don't think it's kind to hog the stage to yourself. You kids think we can work together?"

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"I do hope we can," Glory says softly.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

“Seconded.”

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"What's your way in?"

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Before we say, you said that you would also tell us how you would how you do this job, implying that you have a particular strategy in mind. We would like to hear it."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She tosses an Iphone 5 onto the table, battered. It looks like it's existed for longer than Iphones have existed. "My plan was to break my phone. It's a gift from a friend who's probably dead." She leans back onto her chair, musing. "I'm aiming for the Machine, a spot that's s'posed to be adjacent to the Server. Figured a phone was about the right sort of sacrifice to make sure the aim's true." She reaches into a big leather satchel, resting on the floor next to the Crook, and pulls out a censer by the chain. It seems to be made of bronze. "This old thing burns material and whaffs smoke where alike stuff is. I'll be using some printouts of Stella Meyers' stuff to go to the most Stella Meyers place around- her Demesne." She puts it back. "From there, it's hacking and slashing anything I see and hoping that I hit the mark. The moment things get too hot and heavy, I'll be pulled out by some faerie friends who I'm unlikely to lose my connection too, organised it with them not three days ago."

"Any questions?"

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

You intend to enter the Abyss through the Sacrificial Ritual?

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Could walk in by the parts of Summer that push in on the Abyss, but then I wouldn't be anywhere near the Server. Too long a walk, even for me."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"It's going to take a lot more than hacking and slashing to take down even one Nex Machina. "

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

“Seems we’re in more agreement than we thought.”

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She rocks her head back and forth, conceding the point. "Again, don't have to win, just have to fight. But I wouldn't mind help in doing the job better. Couldn't find any explosives to rip up the Demesne, for example."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

“Explosives?” Silver perks up visibly.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"The Server is a digital realm, I don't think explosives would've helped very much anyway. I'm guessing you got these Stella Myer printouts from Grey, I presume?" Glory sighed.

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She nods. "And OMO too. Went to one of those... internet cafes? Got them done all at once. Seven by seven pages."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"When do you plan on going?"

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Soon as Grey delivers the greaves. And it's meal time, and I said to message me around then cause that's when I'd check, and he's a Faerie so he loves...?" She raises her eyebrow, glaring at the phone. After a moment, a notification pops up. "Dramatic timing. So whenever, maybe tomorrow if you kids aren't coming with."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver swears violently.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory shook her head. "We still gotta make preparations for our trip."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

“I could delay some of what I intend to do.” Silver has a weird reluctant tone - like she wants to but doesn’t.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory gives her a funny look, and turns back to Sally.

"Guess we'll see you in either a couple of months, or when we go down there ourselves."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

“Try not to die down there. It’d be a boring end to your tale.”

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She nods solemnly, then splits out that full and cheesy grin again. "Our business is done, but you are still welcome and our oaths are still held. Wanna just chat for a bit? I usually only have faerie to talk to and I could do for a change of pace."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory nodded. "Sure, I got time to burn. Silver?"

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

“Certainly.” Silver shakes herself off, and the armor bleeds away to a blue T-shirt and pants. “I could do with some procrastination.”

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"You answered out questions, so I guess it's only fair for your turn to ask away," Glory said, hands behind her head and propping her legs on top of the table.(edited)

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She points at Silver. "Glamour specialist." Her finger sweeps to Glory. "Goblin Techie. How the fuck did you two meet?"

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver laughs. “Grey’s fault!”

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'd hate to say it, but he was the one that brought together."

"I was the one who posted the original bounty for Stella Myers on the old OMO, before it collapsed. Some of the forum users were thinking about teaming up and defeating her together, and Gray also expressed some interest in hunting her as well, so as long as someone summoned him to do it. Apparently TheSilverWolfPup here had dealt with him before, so they decided to call her up to summon him. And it's all history from there on."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

“Fucked up that bargain too,” Silver muses. “Wonder if that’s why.”

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"And you two just stuck around each other since? I'd have figured that'd be rough rooming, putting glamour near goblins and all that."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

“We talk. Sometimes I stop by. The goblins aren’t so bad, and Glory’s...” Silver weaves a strand of grass through her gloves. “Also not so bad.”

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory turns away, trying to hide the blush on her face.

"Ah, fuck it," She says, and turns around and gives Silver a hug with a big smile on her face.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver freezes, full deer in the headlights startled.

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

Sally makes a 'clutching at her pearls' gesture, that matronly smile returning. "Friendship's a thing to treasure. It's often said to be the most powerful magic of all." She seems entirely honest.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver doesn’t quite manage to hug back, but she does lean into Glory... though this is the *most* unsure Glory’s ever seen her.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory doesn't mind, and squeezes her a little tighter before finally letting go. A big smile is still on her face.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

After several moments Silver manages, “Ah, yeah. That.”

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Never had many friends myself when I was your age. Was too on guard, had to be. But I regret it all the same, now that I'm old and not so lonely. I now know a lot people I could have been friends with sooner."

She brushes her ring-and-sword hand, her left, over the battered phone, the gift she intends to sacrifice. Her expression is mournful, in a peaceful way.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory slightly nods in agreement. She looks over the field, with a look of nostalgia and reminiscence on her face.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

“It’s too easy to hurt a friend, or be hurt.”

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"I had a lot of friends once. But they're all gone now. I didn't really know what was so gone, until it was all already too late."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

“I don’t think I had real friends.”

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

The mournful look rises and settles on you both. "Friends, real friends, you'll know by how they help you be more yourself. Maybe that's through the joy of company, the fervor of competition, or the pain of loss. But they make you more you, help you figure out who you want to be."

"You do that for each other, yeah? You'll both be more for it."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver looks down at the grass strand in her hand, and spins it; it comes apart into three, and she begins to weave. “I don’t know if I can.”

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory looked back to her, and then to Silver. She momentarily looks down, taps her foot, and looks back up, with a new look in her eyes. "Yeah, I will." She gave a small smile, and a glance at Silver. "What else can I do?"

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

“Change,” she murmurs, half to herself. The weaving in her hands is growing as she works. “‘Tis my role. Perhaps I can make it work for me for once. We’ll see.”

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Well, the Abyss is all about change, from what I heard." Glory placed her elbows at the table, and rested her chin in her hands. "Maybe down there is where we'll really see."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver wrinkles her nose. “Change into the worst of ourselves, though. Though I guess... we’re Practitioners. If we can’t face up to that worst the friendship was never going to work, because there’s only so much even *I* can hide.” The weaving is changing colour, now, green-yellow and blue.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"You know, I've heard stories of certain people, people who were already at their lowest points, falling into the Abyss, but coming back up *better*."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

Sally shakes her head at the "worst of ourselves" comment. "It's not a corrupter, it's a crucible. Breaks things down. What we call corruption is just the result of breaking badly enough. That means if you don't break, you're tougher than you think. You'll be less, but sometimes less is more. Losing a bad attitude, I'd call that an improvement."

"Bit like extolling the virtues of throwing food from frying pan to fire in the name of cooking faster, though."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"I'm not the best chef around, but I think I get what you mean."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

Sally barks a laugh. "Nor am I. Lamb and glamour, that's been my rego dinner for a good long time now."(edited)

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"Unfortunately, its rather hard for me to see my *own* heartwood."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

Sally gives Silver a searching look. "Want me to teach you a trick for charging something with your Self? No questions asked."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver furrows her brow. "Deliberately? It mostly just slips out in my art, though I've gotten a bit better at controlling that." Her hands flex for a moment, in her weaving, in her gloves. "Is there a price that *isn't* a question, to this trick?"(edited)

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"No."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"Alright. I'm listening."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"I'm not breaking our oath," Sally says, drawing her sword.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver nods. Her hands pause, her weaving half-done, and she watches Sally carefully.

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

The sword, with a blade of what looks to be damascus steel in much better condition than the rusted hilt or its fraying wrappings, flips over in her hand. "This is, perhaps, the blade of the king *Hrólf Kraki*, Sköfnung. Rules existed for its bearing, that it be kept away from the eyes of women, that the sun must never shine on its hilt. When I found it, both these rules were broken, and I have further broken them again and again. It is more mine than its legends, now."

She rests the point of it in the palm of her opposite hand. "If you've ever had a formal education in the practice, you may know the so-called Material practices all have a reliance on stored power. Elementalists catch lightning in a bottle, Technomancers charge up their batteries and power gloves. Those who indulge in the changing of the Self, however, store that unique power away in their sheddings. Hair, skin, *blood.*" To punctuate 'blood,' she stabs the point of Sköfnung into her hand.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory raises an eyebrow in surprise.

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She raises her stabbed hand in a fist, letting the blood drip to the table. "Take a blade that is your own, with the hand that is your favoured, and strike at yourself. It may be hair, it may be blood, but it need only be drawn by the blade, taken by your will, and be suiting for this purpose." She begins to draw a rough diagram with the blood, letting it drip more than painting with it.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"I think I'm being reminded, somewhat, of a tempering ritual."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She grins. "Clever girl. You recognise this diagram then?" She's drawn a double bordered circle, crenelated 'T's wrapping the outer rhim, with a flourished plus-like cross in the centre.

(If you've read the Pale Extra Materials "Bedtime Reading," this is a Potency Circle with a Cross of the Eighth Son in the centre)

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver hums. "I've only gotten access to the most basic enchanting information, so far. Nothing complicated, to my knowledge. This does look rather like what I got, though... Yep."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Use this circle, and place within it on the cross an object dear to you. The less you care for it, the less you will make it a home for your Self and the more you will blast through it as a hallow for nothing in particular." She places her phone in the circle. "I believe this will be the last time I temper you, old friend," she mumbles.

"Now, for the last ingredient. As you push power through it, as you make your Self a home, you must *feel*." She looks up at you two with complete seriousness. "So, do either of you have a good joke?"

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"Your face."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Hah!"

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"BWAHAHAHAH!!" She laughs loud enough to hurt your ears. The blood boils, then splutters like lit gunpowder, then turns to ash, leaving a deep burn in the wood of the table. The phone shimmers slightly.

She picks up the phone, gesturing with it. You watch as some of the blood on her bleeding hand is sucked into it, like water down a drain. "And should I ever need it, I can call on the power of my own Self from this phone. Repeated attempts make a nicer hallow, one that holds for longer, if not necessarily more. Be careful to keep it full, though. Power abhors a vacuum."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Hm, good to keep note of. I never had an official teacher or was in an apprenticeship to learn the formal basics from."

"I always wanted to go to one of those Practitioner Academy's, like the BHI, when I was younger, but I was kinda on the streets at the time."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"I hadn't realised you could use enchanting for storing something that wasn't... *enchanting.*" Silver hums. "I mostly just use the Glamour as the storage, and Self just... came and went as it was used and renewed. Thank you." She huffs, rolling her shoulders; even through the not-quite-her-ness of her body she's suddenly notably tense. "My family has lost track of a lot it really should know."(edited)

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

As she reaches into her satchel, pulling out a ornate bottle of what is presumably wine, Sally nods knowingly. "The Self is a resource like any other, but it's important to recognise you have a monopoly on it. The only way to get more you is from you. Knowing how to shape, store, replenish it- it's literal self-control. And in our world, that's one of the most useful skills of all."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver smiles, a bit wryly. "One important use for these gloves. Finally getting some control over my Self just... spilling into things I make. It's at least deliberate now, instead of something I'm resigned to always happening." She starts weaving again, and this time she seems to be actively obscuring what she's doing; she's coiling it up as she finishes it. It's clearly a blanket, but the pattern? Obscured.

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Having your signature on things isn't always bad. You get better claim to them, makes them harder to take. More painful to lose, too, but to every boon a bane."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"That piece of my Self Grey has? I gave him something I made."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Want to get it back sometime? I wouldn't mind helping in a roundabout way. Can't jeopardize the promise I'm getting from him, but he won't be able to rescind it if I'm only advising or bartering."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"It'd be *nice* to have it back, but I doubt he'd trade it cheap. And... definitely not until after this whole Abyss thing is done."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

Sally nods. "We'll look into it afterward then."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"You know, I'm still curious about *you*, Sally SummerStroll."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Sally *Sterling,*" she corrects, "but just Sally, please. I never knew my father."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Sterling, like silver, got it, "Glory clicks her tongue. "I've heard of Practitioners, Runners, who spend much of their travelling and mapping out Realms, but this is the first I heard about someone actually living their entire life here. I figure after a while, a normal person would just become more Faerie or Goblin if they spent too long in here."(edited)

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Yup." She pops the 'p.' "You've gotta be real stubborn to make it out here without becoming something more common. I've been wrestling my Self back from drowning in glamour for decades, though. Doing it in the comfort of my own home has been easy."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Were you born here? Or came in when you were young?"

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She shakes her head. "Born in Adelaide, I think. Mum was on the run from grandma, had me in the process with a fuck-off nameless drongo. I had a different name then, one to hide me by. Didn't work." She takes a damnable swig of the wine. "Grandma wanted her precious seventh generation Faerie granddaughter. The family was in a bind, lost too many wagers with their preferred court, High Spring. So they killed my mother for the crime of running away from a living hell and sold me to a Lady they'd lost a bet to."(edited)

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver rolls up the blanket entirely; the rough side is a plain brown. She reaches down and plucks up another grass strand, spinning this one; it turns red, thinning strangely. "Ah, relatable, though Dark Autumn is my family's Court of choice. There are days I think my mother wishes she'd decided to sell me instead of Awaken me, though those are few enough. There's definitely days she thinks that about my brother."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory is shaking her head. "This is all making me glad I didn't come from a Practitioner family, especially one dealing in Faeries."

"Way too much baggage, which is exactly the thing I *don't* need more in my life."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Struth." Sally takes another swig. "The next few years were riding the waves of stories, trying not to drown. Forged my implement in the fires of those crafty assholes' forges. Ring of Silver, to contain the Self and abjure the Faerie. Gave me staying power, and a mean left hook that could shatter glamour. Eventually the Lady I'd been sold to decided to take advantage of all the fights I'd started and turn me into a knight." Another swig. "The look on her face when I lopped her head off with the sword she'd payed for... priceless."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory gives a thumbs-up to her and an approving smile.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver grins. "It's *so* fun to catch them by surprise with their own tricks. Rare and hard to do, but *so* worth it... oh, this is a tale I enjoy. So an Autumn Fae once thought to challenge me to a Glamour competition, right? See who can make the most convincingly real item in a group of normal items. We each had a day to make it. "He won, of course. But part of proving that you won involved unravelling the opponent's glamour. And I'd made *my* item from a ticking bomb."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

Sally grins that toothy grin. "So his cunning plan quite literally blew up in his face?"

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"So *very* literally. It was a very dead Fae, and no one argued when I claimed both prize and corpse."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Glad we have an explosives expert," she says, toasting Silver with her bottle.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"If you ever need any more things that can go boom, I'm your girl," Glory says.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver makes a sound *very* like a purr. "I do like things that go boom."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory sighed. She reached into her fanny pack and pulled out her own bottle of alcohol out. "I'd tell my story, but its a pretty long and messy one. Can be summed up as me messing up, and a lot of people dying in the end."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

Sally fixes Glory with a concerned look. "You don't have to share if you don't want to."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory gives her a nod, and takes a swig from the bottle. "Thanks, cause it's not something I can approach well without getting *really* damn hammered."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver looks over at Glory seriously, the humour faded. She ducks and nudges her head into Glory's shoulder for a moment before sliding back. "Up to you, Glory."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"You can get on the cans *first,* if you're keen on sharing it right."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory smiled at her. "Unfortunately, I can't get drunk right now. I'm wearing a condom."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

Sally shrugs. "Story for another time then. Guess its on me to finish mine."

"The Lady, to her inevitable demise and my incredible luck, hired an old Summer Fae to teach me. *Tomaltch the Shepard,* he was called, or Cold Tom, to most. I caught myself about to call him *dad,* more than a few times. I did eventually get into the habit of calling him old man, though."

Sally looks off, out over her pasture and to the dense forest surrounding it. "He was my out, him and the heroes I still call friends today. He'd been settling into his last story, that of the mentor past his prime passing on his wisdom. Instead of all those upstart young faerie, though, he chose me. He and they busted me out of Spring after I killed the Lady."

She sips her wine to make room for a thought. "I think he knew. Saw something in me that only the stupidly old can. He knew I was going to learn what he had to teach, that I'd be able to kill him properly, give him the death he deserved. He taught me a lot, and I learned my practice almost by accident around his lessons. My style, crook in one hand and sword in the other, is all his, though."

Sally chugs down the rest of her wine, an effort of several seconds. With a sigh, she continues, "We had our final duel some twenty years ago now. I know when Miles showed up, which ought to have been in '07, Tom was long dead. Buried by his sword, below our feet at this very moment. The rest of my life is just... what's happened after. More adventures. More magic. Keeping this pasture, shearing the sheep for their glamour." She's quiet for a moment. "I owe him a lot."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory nodded quietly. "What do you plan to do after this is all done? Sound's like you've accomplished your goal as long as Gray holds up his end of the deal."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She's quiet for a bit. "I don't really know. Start a school, maybe. Do as Tom did, teach what I know before I'm ready to go."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"Strange concept, the idea of being *done.*"

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

Sally only nods.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Things gotta end sometime."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Best that they end well."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"Must they?" Silver sounds plaintive.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"What about you, Silver? What's your plans when the whole Abyss/Gray/Stella thing is all wrapped and over?" Glory asked.

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

Silver wrinkles her nose. "I don't... I'd imagine I'd find more deals, more connections. I've a family to rebuild." She sounds tired.

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory nodded, and lifted her head up, looking upward. "I think for me, well, Stella was a part of my past that I needed to deal with in time eventually. I think after this, it's time for me to start dealing with other thing's I've putting off for a while. Some other shadows that have hanging over me, like Stella was." A look of melancholy came over Glory's face, as she said her next words with a bit of fear and bitterness. "Maybe pay my hometown a visit."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"If we're still friends then... well. I go all sorts of places when I'm invited."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory turned toward her, and gave her a weak smile. "Yeah, me too."

She then let out a sigh, and stood up, stretching her arms above her head and standing on her toes. "I think this a good point to part ways. Thanks for having us, Sally, and for the meal as well." She extends her hand out toward. "This was a good talk. Good luck in the Abyss."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She returns your thanks with that matronly smile. "It was good meeting you both. Safe travels. If we fight, may it be side by side."

Silver Wolf of Blades — 02/19/2021

"I suppose I've been putting it off long enough. Time to pick up those bloody scissors." Silver wraps up her weaving in a long red ribbon. "For your hospitality, Sally Sterling, a house-warming gift. Open it up once you're back."(edited)

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

Sally takes the gift reverently. "Always nice to have something waiting at home for you."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

"Oh, uh, here, you can have this too." Glory extends the bottle of beer she was just drinking to her.

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

She takes it from you with gusto and a grin. "Y'know, you can use glamour to cool your drink. If you ever end up with the stuff on your hands, maybe try saving it for a beer."

The Glorious — 02/19/2021

Glory smiled but shook her head. "Tried handling glamour once before, didn't go so well. I think I'll make do with what I got, thanks. Be seeing you, Sally."

viceVersailes — 02/19/2021

"Be seeing you." You both head back down the hill, first together, then parting ways, leaving the cottage, the pasture, and High Summer behind, trading the wonder of the Faerie for the mystery of the future.