The Hare deals with Lord Grey II

Characters in this scene: Hare, Lord Grey II

Setting Location: The Grove of Nameless Stars

Hare — 03/03/2021

The Hare had arrived at the edge of the grove, black hair tousled by a desert breeze. His mask gleamed with moonlight and magic. He waited at the treelined border, standing atop a pile of white sand. "Lord Grey? Are you here?" He sounded nervous - no, hurried. He was rushed, or felt rushed, the concern as clear in his voice as a ringing bell. He had come for solutions.

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

"Here." To the side, the Fae Noble leaned sedately against a tree, shadowed in its boughs. He had chosen to wear something less somber for the occasion: a dazzling green coat over a bright blue vest, atop a white undershirt. The coat tails swished against the Fae's calves as Lord Grey stood up straight, politely bowing shallowly. "Greetings, Hare. You are welcome to enter the grove under nameless stars."

Hare — 03/03/2021

The Hare nods. He stands silently for a moment, his eyes watching Lord Grey with a careful scrutiny. "It is beautiful here. Did - is everything glamour?" He asked, his tone curious.

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

"Close enough, I would say. Fae are of Glamour, the Fae Realm is of Fae. What is the difference between what is real and what is imagined when what is real is as you wish?" Lord Grey gestures to the trees and the grove beyond. "At a certain point, the difference between Glamour and reality becomes moot."

Hare — 03/03/2021

"...he - or, Jacob, I guess, you already know his name," he starts, "He's been saying that. Or, something similar enough. That's part of the issue. He isn't adapting back, not really, to a world that isn't so...mutable," he said, sounding unsure. "I don't know if that's the right word. He wants to change and *be* changed."

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

"Let us walk as we talk. Come." He turns towards the grove, walking slowly to allow Hare to follow. "I have seen it before, a Man becoming Glamour-Drowned. Men can become... *accustomed* to such a malleable realm, especially one that matches one's proclivities." Lord Grey glances over his shoulder back at Hare. "I mean no offense. The world of Man is, metaphorically speaking, full of sharp edges, grit, and coarse truths. Once one has experienced better, it can be hard to accept worse when better is within reach."

Hare — 03/03/2021

The Hare follows - "No, I think that's what it is. It's why --," he paused, thinking, "Refuge exists between the edges. I don't think this is one, or not in the way I think of refuge, but it's an attractive place for someone who might only know, as you described it, the sharpness, the grit, the coarse truths."

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

Lord Grey holds up a hand, palm up. A tree branch leans down and pours a perfect sphere of water into shape just above it with exquisite timing as they pass. "The Fae Realm," he says, "is not just a place free of that gritty sharpness. Look." The Fae wobbles his hand, sending ripples across the sphere. "Water is shaped and defined by its container. Less obviously, it is shaped by the things inside of it as well. Nothing can be gritty between water and the thing inside of it except what the thing itself brought it. But what if the thing itself could change?" With his other hand, he draws out a glass flask filled with a clear yellow oil. Smoothly, Lord Grey pours oil into the sphere, letting it swirl within in random patterns without mixing. "Oil swirls comfortably within water. Yet oil has no thought, no control over its form. What if it did?"

Hare — 03/03/2021

"Uh, it could pick its form, I guess," he shrugged, "Like, it could choose it's patterns, how it swirled. Maybe even separate from the water completely."

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

The perfect sphere shimmered under starlight, the pattern of swirling oil becoming motionless in a perfect crystal sphere before dropping into the Fae Noble's hand. "You can begin to understand the desire that the Glamour-Drowned experience." Lord Grey gently tosses the fist-sized crystal back for Hare to catch. As with the Hare's last visit, the pair keep to the outskirts of the revelry in the center of the grove. The Fae brushes past several buildings of questionable build before stopping beside a home of honeydew, connected at one point to a large mansion dominating the grove.

Hare — 03/03/2021

The Hare catches the crystal. "Yeah," he said, "I could understand it now." They stay well outside of the center, echoes of laughter reaching his ears. All joyous sounds, delicious scents, but he already has a guess of what might wait him there, if he choose to go deeper. Jacob had whispered of what he'd enjoyed here, in the grove of nameless stars. "This is your home?" He asks, standing before a mansion of honeydew, soft orange fruit making up a small part of a greater structure that stretched out and beyond.

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

"Yes, I call this my home. I welcome you, Practitioner known as Hare, to come inside." The Fae waves open the doors, a waft of wind carrying the scent of honeydew. "Would you care for food? Refreshment?" The front door leads to an open room strewn with furniture-sized pillows, beautiful living bookshelves meticulously grown into shape. The far end of the room boasts of a well-crafted mahogany table, upon which sits an ancient looking laptop.

Hare — 03/03/2021

He know the myth of Persephone, the ballad of Childe Rowland. There were stories so deep that even the mortal world spoke of the rules - don't partake, not a bite not a sip. Still, he was tempted. "It's a beautiful home. And -," he paused, forcing himself to remember: not a bite, not a sip. "You're kind to offer. I ate before I came, but I bet it wouldn't taste like anything you might have here." The house was grown, or seemed to be, furniture coaxed out of the edges into being, tables crafted from trees seeded into the floor. Well, almost everything seemed to have been made here. "Is - that's yours? That's - it's so old," he said, a hint of laughter catching on his voice.

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

"The computer? Yes, I bartered for it and a Man to teach me how to use it some time ago. Regretfully, I returned the Man as agreed. Truth be told, I kept him for as long as I feasibly could." The Fae nimbly hops onto a nearby large pillow, tumblingly artfully into a comfortable sprawl. "Please, make yourself comfortable."

Hare — 03/03/2021

"I'll try to," he says, sitting down on a plump pillow, his body oddly stilted - he knew what might happen, what a mistake this could be, but he was also worried of offending Grey. "...so. What were you hoping to negotiate for, in return for lessons and glamour?"

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

"I gave it some thought and came to the conclusion that it would be fair to exchange knowledge for knowledge." Lord Grey gestures with one arm above his body as he talks, leaving the rest of his body loose and comfortable on the pillow. "I am not a Practitioner, so your knowledge of the Practice is less... *applicable*, shall we say.

Hare — 03/03/2021

"That's fair," he nods after a moment, "I, uh, am not super sure I know much of anything you'd be interested in. Or, is there something specific you'd want me to find out?"

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

Lord Grey lets his arm drop to drape over his eyes, but grins nonetheless. "I find that I do indeed lack something in the world of Man, something that I had before. I would barter for *secrets*, Hare. I begin the negotiation by asking for ten secrets, untold to you and not connected to you."

Hare — 03/03/2021

"How - how can I give you something untold to me?"

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

"By bartering for it, stealing it, tricking for it... why, the possibilities are endless! But perhaps I should explain: a secret untold to you, meaning a secret that was not shared with you, but you learned of regardless. And!" Lord Grey holds up a finger, still shielding his eyes, "one that is *still* secret, not was once secret and now public."

Hare — 03/03/2021

"Oh," he says, thinking. "I could think of a few. It doesn't matter who or what they're about?"

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

"It matters that they *belong* to someone. A Practitioner, an Other, an Aware, an Innocent... I do not mind. Ah, and I am glad you think of it, leading my thoughts as it were. The secrets ought to be of the world of Man."

Hare — 03/03/2021

"I *think* I can remember ten. Pretty sure, anyway. So, that's the price for the lessons and glamour? Just the ten secrets?"

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

Lord Grey sits up straight, rocking into position to plant his feet back onto the floor. "Ten secrets, delivered to me, yes. A fair price, I would say." He stands and strides to a shelf, moving things aside looking for something. "For my end of the bargain, did you have something specific in mind, or were you intending to allow me to shape the entire deal?"

Hare — 03/03/2021

"I don't know I -," the Hare hesitates, "I guess, ways I could keep Jacob more...focused? Bring him back to who he was? Or - ways to make our world, my and his, more...appealing to him?"

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

The Fae Noble pauses in his search, glancing behind at Hare. "There is very little one can actually do for his condition, Hare," he says gently, "the Glamour brought to your home will make Jacob comfortable, but also remind him of my Realm. What I offer is a method to keep him by your side as happy as you can, not a cure for what ails him."

Hare — 03/03/2021

The Hare is silent. His body tenses for a moment, even more than it had been, his hands bunch up, clenching. "I, uh," he tries to start speaking, but his voice cracks, splinters between high and low, and then he is silent again. "I guess, yeah. I'll make him comfortable, if that's all I can do."

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

Lord Grey withdraws a small golden bell from the shelf and approaches the forlorn Practitioner. Gently, he sets it on the floor in front of Hare before returning to his own oversized cushion. The Fae watches him carefully, letting the Man collect himself. The air itself seems to sense the tension, and flows warmly about Hare's shoulders and body, a gentle soothing touch carrying gentle familiar scents. "I am sorry, for the turmoil you find yourself in." The words were of the Fae's voice, but so quiet that it wasn't certain that the Noble has said them at all. "It is not easy, to deal with strife. To combat the unlucky throw of the dice."

Hare — 03/03/2021

It smells like home, suddenly. No, not like home. Like sanctuary. He could smell the desert roses, lush after a quick rain. The smell of the open air and the skies that stretched on forever. "It was my fault," he says, "She warned me. I -," he pauses, taking in a breath. He looks at the golden bell, so small compared to the grandness of the home he found himself in. "The first secret is that he knew about the practice. Or as much as anyone can, without awakening. I knew that he had seen something, I knew that he was keeping a secret, but -," he sighs, wringing his hands, "I guess that's it - he'd seen something. Something to break through his protections. He didn't tell me, he didn't tell anyone." "He sleep talks. He didn't tell me that, either. I don't think he believes he does - does that count the second one?"

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

Lord Grey holds up a hand, gesturing for the Hare to stop. "While I appreciate your sharing, I cannot accept this as payment. For one, we have not yet finalized the deal. Second, do not forget that I specified secrets that have no connection to you. But, should it ease your mind to speak your troubles, I will listen without judgement."

Hare — 03/03/2021

"Oh, uh. No, I don't want to --," he shakes his head, "No. It'd be better to talk about things I'm not connected to." "How do we finalize the deal?"

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

"The second half of the deal is... *vague*. I am charitable and generous in my dealings, so I would have you clarify what you wish before we agree. As it stands, I *could* hand you some Glamour and a vague bare-minimum instruction on its use." He nods towards the bell. "Ring it."

Hare — 03/03/2021

Hare rings the bell.

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

After a moment, the door to the house opens, for a moment letting the sounds and scents of revelry blow in. Three fae, all androgynous but entirely distinct from another, stride in and arrange themselves in a line besides Hare as the door clicks back shut. "You may call these three Migina," the first fae bows, smiling, "Chepi," the second fae waves cheerfully, "and Tunder." The final fae nods respectfully. "Any or all of these three would be most delighted in tutoring you in the use of Glamour, and would serve as the source thereof as well."

Hare — 03/03/2021

The Hare waves, weakly, at the three Fae. "Hi," he says, offering a nod to each in turn. "I guess, since everyone's here, I'll try to be more specific." He breathes in, he breathes out. "He - Jacob told me that he'd spent an evening as starlight. That, when he wanted, he could dance as light and free as a song. He wants to change and be changed," he pauses, collecting his words. "Show me how to make my world a bit like this one."

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

"I can show you how to craft starlight from Glamour and more," offers Migina. "I can show you how to lessen burdens with Glamour and more," says Chepi. "I can show you how to craft the environment to your liking and more," states Tunder. They each move their arms in sync and sensation washes over Hare. A small taste of what Jacob had experienced, demonstrating their skill at Glamour craft. The sensations seem to pass through the Practitioners hands, almost asking to be shaped by him as well. Lord Grey politely clears his throat and the world returns to the home of honeydew, the three fae looking quietly pleased. "If you would have them, I offer you their services. Speak one of their names and ring that bell, and that one will appear to provide lessons or Glamour as required. Is this acceptable?"

Hare — 03/03/2021

"Yes," he says, too quickly. Even with a taste, a hint of what he could learn to offer Jacob - the small hope of the comfort he might afford him was enough that he'd say yes one hundred times more and more quickly than he breathed.

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

"In return, I require ten secrets of the world of Man, untold to you and having no connection to you. I am in no rush for these, so you may take your time, but if I suspect that you are purposefully stalling, I reserve the right to demand them. Agreed?"

Hare — 03/03/2021

"I can think of some, soon, I'm sure. If not, I will find them, for you," he said, nodding, "I won't stall. I have no reason to."

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

The Fae Noble raises an eyebrow. "Generally, people answer with some form of a 'yes' or a 'no'," he says in an amused tone.

Hare — 03/03/2021

"Oh, uh, I - yes. Yes, of course, I agree. Yes. "

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

"**Then the bargain is struck.** It has been very pleasant spending the evening doing business with you." Lord Grey shoos the other three fae out the door, who leave without complaint. "Is there anything else you want for while you are here? You are welcome to relax and partake if you wish..." he looks Hare up and down. "... but perhaps you are eager to return home to your love."

Hare — 03/03/2021

"I am," he says, standing up, "But I'd be lying if staying didn't sound...nice. More than nice, actually. I should be getting back." He puts the golden bell in his backpack.

lordgreyii — 03/03/2021

"Please feel free to contact me through OMO if need be." A side door opens, away from the front entrance and deeper into the house. "That door will take you beyond the treeline of the grove under nameless stars. I wish you well, Hare, and safe travels."