TRP: Goro, Jasper, and Morgan (Nap)

**Izzy:**

 [SETTING: Reception Night, Day 200.]

Morgan Wyn wandered around the castle grounds like she
belonged there, for a while. No one paid her much attention, which was probably
because they were pretty much all plastered or getting there, but also, Mask,
the lack of security. She could just saunter into the castle and rob them blind
if she wanted.

Could do that anyway, of course, if she wanted. But it was
the principle of the thing.

She didn't really need to get drunk -- fucking sleep
deprivation had her in an altered enough goddamn state -- but it was actually
tricky to find anything to drink that wasn't alcoholic, so she settled for some
champagne when she got thirsty. Then she fell back to give the place another
once-over, and finally spotted Jasper Melaine up on the roof of the stables,
watching the crowd. Bit sad-looking, up there by herself.

Morgan narrowed her eyes at the wall, studying it for a
second, then went wide to see if she could stealth it, and hopped up the wall
one-handed, keeping her champagne from spilling.

Why the fuck was it charred up here? Fuckin' Graverunners.

She dropped down next to Jasper abruptly. "Hey, man.
Sorry I'm late."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper jumped a little. She glanced over at Wyn, startled to
see her there. “Oh— hey, fuck. You, uh...” She ducked her head. “I thought you
stood me up,” she admitted.

**Izzy:**

 "Got fuckin' waylaid at, y'know, the desk job. Then
--." She waved a hand at the ground. "I get here, and that dumbass
had gotten himself kidnapped by pirates, so I had to save him and shit."
She rolled her eyes a bit, then grinned at Jasper. "Nah, I wouldn't stand
you up."

**Coyote:**

 “Aw. Yeah, I fucking told him we got too much shit going on,
don’t get kidnapped by pirates. Tables fucking turned on me, there. First time
on my life I had to try and convince somebody else not to be reckless.”

Jasper kept her eyes straight ahead, trying not to look
directly at Wyn.

**Izzy:**

 "Yeah, he's a fucking idiot," Morgan said fondly,
turning to only look at Jasper out of the corner of her eye. She gave her a
slight nudge with her elbow. "What're you doing up here, anyway? You want
me to get outta your hair?"

**Coyote:**

 “Nah, nah. You can stay. Sorry, uh—“ Jasper scratched her
head. “Man, it’s just fucking... weird, knowing there’s two of you. I’m just,
uh— fucking... adjusting. I’ll get over it.”

**Izzy:**

 "Ahh. Yeah. Yeah. Four, actually." She held up
four fingers, in case Jasper thought she'd misspoken. "You know, in the
interest of transparency, which really isn't my fucking game, but
whatever."

The red pseudodragon shifted on her shoulders, digging its
claws into her a little.

**Coyote:**

 “You all— the same? Or is it like... twins, where you’re a
bit different?”

**Izzy:**

 "Eh, like twins, I guess." She hadn't ever really
thought of it that way, but sure. "We're different, but ... probably more
alike than twins. Same person, same shit we all went through up to a point,
right?" She shrugged and took a sip. "Green and Goldie are, uh. Kinda
fucked up, because of how they died, but other than that."

**Coyote:**

 “How’d they... die? Have you ever—? I mean... besides the
first time. Are any of them from you?” Jasper said.

**Izzy:**

 She shrugged again. Fuckin' Jasper and Goro. She guessed
when this shit wasn't your life, it was pretty goddamn bizarre and interesting.
She didn't blame them for having questions. "Me, just the once. Green and
Goldie are from Blue."

Maybe they were all from Blue. She stared absently down at
the crowd. Who knew.

**Coyote:**

 Wyn looked zoned out. Jasper edged over closer so that if
Wyn fell off the rooftop, Jasper could grab her. “So... which one are you? Which
one was... first? You or Blue?”

**Izzy:**

 "Huh?" She looked back up. "Oh. I dunno, man.
Me, I think. Can't be sure, though."

**Coyote:**

 “Hey. When the fuck are you allowed to sleep? It’s fucking bothering
me.” Jasper’s shifted shifted back out onto the ground, watching Raef and
Griffin dance on the grass. “God, I hate... not being able to do anything about
it. I thought about trying to put something in your drink so it’d knock you out
so you could sleep without it being your fault... fuck, that, uh, sounds creepy
out loud. Huh.”

**Izzy:**

 Morgan laughed. "Shit, that's a good idea. You're
smart, you know that? Listen, when I tried to get you to fight me, the other
day, I was hoping you'd knock me out. Fucker can't blame me for being
unconscious."

The pseudodragon hissed quietly.

"Yeah, yeah. Fuck you. Anyway, I don't know. Once I do
get some sleep, though, we should do it for real. Sounds fun."

**Coyote:**

 “Yeah. We— should, yeah.” Jasper kept shifting, restless. Maybe
she should drug Wyn’s drink. Or punch her in the head right this second. What
if they just started the torture over then, though?

God, this thinking ahead shit was hard. What would Azriel
do?

Nah, that wasn’t fucking helpful. Azriel would think the
Sanguine Queen’s deal was neat, make copies of himself, and try to get the
other copies to take over the world for him while he lazed about.

**Izzy:**

 "Yeah." Morgan leaned back on one hand, taking
another sip of champagne. She studied Jasper, for a moment. God, she did seem
to be genuinely fucking bothered about this. Graverunners must have some sort
of heroism exam you had to pass before they made you a member, or something.
These people.

"Hey, don't fucking sweat it, all right?" she
tried. "So I haven't slept in a week. It's fine. Elves don't even have to
sleep at all, you know? Half-elf can go a bit without sleeping."

**Coyote:**

 “Man, you really don’t like it when people are concerned
about you, huh,” Jasper said.

She realized a beat too late that... probably wasn’t very
tactful.

**Izzy:**

 Morgan snorted.

"I sure don't," she said, trying for brightness,
landing somewhere closer to sardonic.

**Coyote:**

 “How come?”

**Izzy:**

 She shrugged, offering a noncommittal ehhn sound.

**Coyote:**

 “Yeah, fair. I’ll interrogate you when you’re awake
sometime. Hey, it’s nothing personal,” Jasper said. “I just... I mean, you see
a cat drowning in the harbor, you fish it out, right?”

She took a quick drink, because, god, being around Wyn made
her nervous.

**Izzy:**

 Morgan laughed briefly. That was a nice sentiment. She was
pretty sure that if she saw a cat drowning in the harbor, though, she wouldn't
fish it out unless she thought there was something she could get from the cat.
Cats were useful, though. Catching pests and so on. So she'd probably do it, it
just wasn't out of the goodness of her heart, or what fucking have you.

She was waiting to see what pests the Runners expected her
to catch for them, if they fished her out.

"Sure," she said. "Yeah, I guess so."

**Coyote:**

 "Hey." Jasper nudged Wyn with her elbow. "I
got a question. Need some insight on somebody, figured maybe you could help,
old lady."

**Izzy:**

 "Fuck, yeah. Hit me."

**Coyote:**

 "Blue Wyn gave a sack of, like, food and shit to some
orphans while I was out walking around with her. Does she actually do
that?"

**Izzy:**

 She shrugged, thinking about it for a second. "I mean,
if she wasn't going to eat it. Don't see why not. No reason for it to go to
waste."

**Coyote:**

 "Yeah." Jasper tapped her fingers. "She a lot
like you? You told me you had Helena Baron killed quick. Would Blue've killed
her quick, too?"

**Izzy:**

 Morgan wanted to say, Hey, I'm not in Blue's fucking head,
but she kind of was. Or she had been -- same fucking head, at one point. A lot
had happened, since that point, was all.

"I ... I don't know," she admitted. "Look,
Blue -- she's fucking died twice. Tortured and beheaded once, just fucking
lacerated to death the second time, all right? It's fucking rough. Dying,
coming back. Makes you see shit differently. Blue's not ... fucking amused by
shit like Helena Baron's obstinance and all her little kids scrambling to
protect her, you feel me? Pisses her off." She shrugged. "I don't
know."

**Coyote:**

 “Yeah.” Jasper made herself settle down.

Realizing they were two separate people changed things,
somehow. She supposed she’d thought maybe they were... becoming friends, or
something, but now, sitting here, she realized now that she’d only made half
the progress she’d thought she had, because the other half had been spent on
the other Wyn. When you took that into consideration— she’d only met this
woman... once? Twice?

That other guy, Goro, was hanging out a lot with her too.
Jasper has found that funny. Both of them working on Wyn, trying to get new
information. Jasper has been so fucking proud of herself, going to Wyn and
trying to figure shit out and wheedle her over, figuring if her and Goro both
did it, they could wear her down together like pals.

Now she just felt kind’ve stupid.

Jasper made a noncommittal sound. “Yeah. Makes sense.” She
dug a list out of her pocket. “Hey. Wyn. One more pickup line, last one.”

**Izzy:**

 "Last one?" Morgan feigned utter devastation.
"God, sad day."

**Coyote:**

 “Alright, alright. Listen.” Jasper squinted at the paper.
“Girl, are you fine wine? Because you’re old at hell. Wait— wait, fuck. I mean,
girl, are you old wine? Because you’re fine as hell.”

Yeah. There. Nailed it.

**Izzy:**

 She busted out laughing, covering her face with a hand. God,
that was funny. Maybe just because she hadn't slept in a week, but she was
decently sure it was just fucking hilarious.

"You know what? Either one. Either one's good."
Still snickering, she leaned closer to Jasper, propping up on one hand.

**Coyote:**

 Jasper snorted. She let Wyn settle closer, though, deciding
to enjoy the contact even if it didn’t go anywhere. Isn’t that what she always
did? Just enjoyed shit as it happened.

“Hey,” Jasper said. “Why’d you come, anyway? Haven’t I only
met you, like... once?”

**Izzy:**

 "Oh, huh." Morgan thought for a moment. "Yeah,
I guess so. Hey, whatever. You invited me. Or -- okay, I guess you probably
thought you were inviting Blue, huh." She winced.

**Coyote:**

 “Nah. I thought I was inviting...both of you. I thought you were the same person, man. I mean, I
only met her twice, too. Fucking weird, thinking you’re becoming pals with
somebody and then realizing you’re still at the start.”

Huh. ‘Pals’ might be a weird way to describe somebody you
probably had to kill later. Well. Whatever.

**Izzy:**

 "Yeah." She mulled that over, too. Goro had taken
the whole thing in stride, but she guessed that was just him, not being fazed
by weird shit. "Yeah, guess that is fucking weird. Man, does it make it
fucking weirder that I felt like I'd already met you, since Blue told me about
you? Probably. Damn. Guess this is why I normally just don't fucking make
pals."

**Coyote:**

 Huh. That made Jasper feel better, oddly, knowing Red felt
like Jasper already met her.

“Hey,” Jasper said. “So... if we kill the Queen, then do all
of you die, or just the copies? D’you know?”

**Izzy:**

 She shrugged, and stared down at her champagne flute for a
moment. She turned it up to empty it, then thought, eh, fuck it, and tossed it
over her shoulder to shatter somewhere.

"How about I answer that question with a story? You
like stories? I do."

**Coyote:**

 “Red, I fucking love stories. Go.”

**Izzy:**

 She thought about the bullshit way she normally started
these things -- So I heard there was this guildmaster who ... Who cared,
though, really? The Runners knew already. There wasn't much point in being coy,
and she was too fucking tired for the doublespeak, anyway; it'd just come out
fucking incomprehensible.

Jasper was all blunt and honest, talking to her face about
thinking about drugging her. It was kind of fucking refreshing.

"So," she said, "back when I made my little
deal with the Queen, I didn't get a lot of details. I was fucking dumb. She
said she'd make me unkillable. I thought, sounds fucking great. Obviously,
right? She said it'd last as long as I kept her fed, as long as she was alive.
I thought, fucking easy.

"Then, see." She paused. "See, this guy tried
to kill me. Did kill me." Nah, fuck, she wasn't telling it right. "He
was someone I trusted, so I told him about the Queen, and he went to her, and I
think -- you know, I don't know what she said to him."

She stared at her lap, shrugging her shoulders a bit,
wishing she could tell the dragon to just ... fuck off. For a bit, at least.

"He was a real honest guy, though. He didn't fuck
around. He said, I just want to help you, and I believed him -- and I believe
him -- so she must've said something that made him think he was doing me a
favor by killing me that first time.

"That bitch lies, though," she said. The dragon
dug its claws into her a little. "You know what I think? I think if she
dies, whatever fuckin' shit that brings me back ends, so she made Ysra kill me
so I'd really be tied to her. I think I wasn't, before that. But now I am. And
if she goes, we all go."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper looked at Wyn. She felt… pinched. Hated watching
this, hated knowing there was no good solution.

Somebody already tried to save her. Somebody she trusted.
Yeah, no wonder Wyn hated the idea of somebody trying to help her. “That’s
fucked up,” Jasper said slowly. “Man, I’m just… I’m sorry, Red. I’m sorry.”

Then she shook her head. “Y’know, I meant what I said
before. Or… I guess I said it to Blue, not to you. I’m gonna try to kill the
Queen, but I’m gonna try to find a way out for you, too. I know that’s not
worth shit, because there’s probably no way to save you, and I don’t even
really know you, not fucking really. But I’m gonna try.”

**Izzy:**

 It was fucking cute how Jasper had just started calling her
'Red'. Picked up on how she referred to Blue, and copied it. Fucking strange,
too, because normally people just called her Wyn -- called all of them Wyn --
and they only called each other anything else. Odd to hear it coming out of
someone else's mouth. Charming, though. Fucking charming.

"Well, hey. You do what you gotta do, I'll do what I gotta
do." She shrugged, a little rougher than she had to, and her dragon gave
an annoyed chirrup. "Maybe it'll work out. I mean, it will, somehow. Maybe
it'll work out some way that's not fucking unfortunate, I should say."

Probably not. She could say it with a straight face, though.

**Coyote:**

 "Yeah, yeah," Jasper said, feeling a bit relieved.
"Same page. I mean... I'm not gonna... fucking hold it against you if you
gotta kill me sometime. 's okay. You gotta do what you gotta do. Hey. Maybe if
we both die, we can wake up in some other reality, huh? That fancy elf fucker
other there-- not the groom, the other one, the drunk blond-- he kept telling
me these crazy stories about... people getting reborn and shit when they die.
Maybe next time we'll be pals, huh?"

**Izzy:**

 Morgan laughed briefly. "Yeah, for sure. I mean, we can
be pals in this one, just pals that maybe kill each other." She covered
her mouth with a hand, yawning, and blinked sleepily for a second. "That's
how friendship works, in my experience. Completely normal. Mm."

**Coyote:**

 "Mhm. Completely normal. Not like you'd know, I guess,
since you don't normally make pals, and not that I'd know, since... I make pals
with everybody." Jasper nudged Wyn. "Hey, Red. D'you care if I kiss
you?"

**Izzy:**

 She was in the middle of snickering at the comments about
making pals with no one and everyone -- fucking checked out, that -- then
snorted at the other part. "Be shitty if I just didn't care, wouldn't it?
Complete fucking apathy." Oh, that wasn't an answer. Fuck, that kind of
question always backed her into a corner, where she had to either just say yes
or no. Or some other bullshit. She was tired, but not too tired to have
bullshit.

She gave Jasper a grin. "I don't know. You gonna try it
out and see?"

**Coyote:**

 Jasper glanced around below. Raef and Griffin were still
dancing, slowly spinning in a circle. The rest were distracted.

Yeah. This was a good time for kissing, right?

God. She just… really fucking liked Wyn. And she was afraid
if she didn’t do it now, right fucking now, a meteor was going to strike, or
more pirates would show up, or the Sanguine Queen would show up and eat them
all. And then she’d never get to kiss Wyn. And that was too goddamn sad.

Jasper normally didn’t think about things, so she made
herself stop thinking about this and just… do it. Wyn was too far away, so
Jasper gently cupped the back of her neck and guided her closer. Wyn’s hair was
softer than it looked—like fine-spun silk, so delicate it slipped right through
Jasper’s fingers.

Jasper kissed her. Wyn’s mouth was small and soft. She
blinked hazily at Jasper, and then her eyes flickered shut.

Jasper’s heart pounded. Her body burned despite the cold
winter air, and she automatically shifted closer to Wyn, closing the distance
between them, coiling her arm around Wyn’s waist. She dragged Wyn into her lap
and tightened her grip around Wyn’s waist, crushing their bodies together.

Jasper slid her hand up Wyn's back, feeling the bare skin
there. Smooth and lean.

Fuck.

Jasper forced herself to stop. She caught her breath.
"There," she managed.

**Izzy:**

 Ah.

Well.

That was unexpected. It was the sleep loss, maybe. She felt
the dragon shifting on her shoulders, coiling to strike, maybe, but it settled
when she went along with Jasper pulling her over into her lap. She tensed a
little, herself, but -- she could feel Jasper's flush, and her heart pounding
in her chest as she drew them together. It felt genuine. Honest. Fucking real,
for a moment, no bullshit.

It was fucked up, that thing Jasper had said about someone
luring her into the bedroom and then trying to kill her. Hit a little close to
home. But this was -- kind of all right. In the back of Morgan's mind, she
thought about the fact that it'd be fucking perfect, telling someone that
little story, getting their guard down, then doing the exact same thing to them
-- fucking poetic or whatever -- but she was too goddamn tired to listen to the
back of her mind. It was just a kiss, anyway.

She just kissed a pretty girl and had a real fucking nice
time doing it, arching her back away a bit, instinctively, and bringing one
hand up to Jasper's jawline, tracing it with her thumb, the other curling
around the back of Jasper's head, threading through her hair and the assorted
little interesting things braided into it. She dragged her fingernails along
Jasper's scalp lightly.

But she pulled away when Jasper did, feeling slightly dazed.
She half laughed, half cleared her throat. "Yeah. There," she agreed.
"You sure fucking showed me." Then she leaned in to see if Jasper
would let it happen again, because fuck, that was nice.

**Coyote:**

 Jasper only meant to kiss her once, but then Wyn started
leaning in, and all Jasper could think was, God, yes.

Obviously they weren't fucking sleeping together tonight,
because Wyn was fucked up. And Jasper felt... vaguely guilty, like she was--
taking advantage of something here. But, god, it felt so fucking good to just
sit here and kiss Wyn and enjoy it.

She shuddered as Wyn fingers slid through her hair. God. Fuck.
Yeah. She oughta-- she oughta stop, here.

She shifted. Jasper was wearing a dress, but it was a
flexible and comfortable outfit-- good for climbing if she had to. But it made
things a little awkward, kissing a girl in a dress with all the long fabric
between them; Wyn's legs were bound up in her evening gown, which made it hard
for her to sit in Jasper's lap. So Jasper muttered, "Fuck, hold on,"
and she pulled them both over the lip of the roof so they were out of sight on
the flat part, then kissed Wyn again, then a few more times after that.

This was nice, Jasper thought. Man. They could've been doing
this... like... the whole fucking time.

**Izzy:**

 Morgan kept grinning. Coming to this fucking wedding was
supposed to just be something to do to keep herself entertained and awake, but
this was way fucking better than she'd expected. They were hidden from the
crowd, now, too, up on the roof -- she wondered if she -- nah, nah, better calm
down. She wasn't going to push.

The dragon finally fucking got the message and scarpered
off, hopping off her shoulders, claws clicking on the roof as it paced a few
feet away. Wasn't goddamn going anywhere, she knew, but it was out of her
personal space, which was great, because just now she was only interested in
having Jasper in her personal space.

She shimmied her skirt up her thighs a bit, taking one of
Jasper's hands casually to rest it on her hip. That was okay. Better than
touching her back. And she let one of her own hands curl around Jasper's waist,
the other going back to her hair, because she'd seemed to really fucking like
that, and tilted her head to kiss her neck. Carefully. Seeing if it was all
right.

**Coyote:**

 Jasper shivered. She snatched her hand away from Wyn's
thigh. Then, without really thinking about it, caught Wyn's wrists and held her
down against the roof. She shifted, settling on top of Wyn with her bodyweight.

Jasper didn't move. She shut her eyes so she didn't have to
look directly at Wyn, because, god, if she did, she was going to lose her fucking
mind.

"Hang on," Jasper said. "You, uh. You're
really fucked up."

**Izzy:**

 "Yep, I sure am." Morgan shifted under her
instinctively, grinning, but then it faded a bit. Okay. Recalibrate. Too much.
He skin crawled a little bit at being pinned, but she'd deal -- she wasn't
going to almost fucking stab another one of the Graverunners. That wasn't how
you made friends.

She just tugged at her wrists, less trying to actually get
free than seeing if Jasper would just let her go. That'd be a valuable thing to
learn. She kept her eyes on Jasper's face, studying.

**Coyote:**

 Something shifted on Wyn's face, and she moved, pressing up
a little, as if testing. Jasper let go.

"Listen," Jasper said. "God, you're fucking
great, and I'd love to distract you, but... listen. We can't-- I'm sorry, I
don't wanna fuck you while you're... all fucked up. What if you're not thinking
straight, huh? It can wait, alright?"

**Izzy:**

 She scoffed. "Ehh." That was sweet, though, she
guessed. Interesting. "I mean." She was going to keep talking shit,
but she slid herself away, out from under Jasper. "We could wait, but
goddamn, what if we both die first, right? Really kill the mood." She
straightened her skirt out a bit, leaving it hiked up enough that she could
cross her legs, the fabric draping across her lap -- leaning back on her hands,
relaxing, giving Jasper a lazy smile.

This is fine, she was trying to say. Keep hanging out with
me. Don't run off. Just didn't want to say it out loud.

**Coyote:**

 Jasper imitated her posture back, relaxing. “Hey,” Jasper
said. “If we die first, we die first. I’m fine with that. It goes how it goes.
Just not interested in having sex with somebody who’s half unconscious.”

Wyn struck her as the sort’ve person who didn’t enjoy being
looked after. That was okay, though; didn’t bother Jasper. Jasper was going to
do what Jasper did.

**Izzy:**

 All right. Well, good. Shit, though, now Morgan had to have
a conversation, or something -- it'd be much easier to fuck around half
unconscious than it would be to talk.

"Hey, now, hey," she objected mildly. "I'm
maybe ... twenty percent unconscious. Is that under your threshold?" Just
bullshitting. Not trying to talk Jasper into anything. "Get me some
coffee, I can do fifteen."

**Coyote:**

 “Haha. Look, one of us will have to fully awake and know
what they’re doing.”

Jasper shut her mouth immediately afterward, realizing, Hey,
maybe being an incompetent virgin isn’t that attractive.

**Izzy:**

 "Hey." She laughed. "Fuck you, I know what
I'm doing."

**Coyote:**

 “Yeah? Get some sleep, don’t die, and then you can show me.”

**Izzy:**

 She leaned forward to steeple her fingers together, frowning
like she was deep in thought. "Hm. Yeah, no promises on those first two.
Third one's a date, though." She looked up and winked.

**Coyote:**

 Jasper laughed. “Wyn, that’s not how it fuckin’ works... eh,
fuck it. You know what? You do you. I’ll do me.”

Her eyes fell on the ground below. She wished Azriel were
here so she could ask: Hey, is it a really bad idea if I try to drug Red so she
can get some sleep? Jasper just really goddamn hated not doing things. Why
wasn’t Azriel here, anyway? Pansy. God, she loved him.

Or Abel. Abel would know if it was a bad idea or not.

Or hey. There was that Goro guy, but— he wasn’t in sight.
Maybe later, she figured, if he popped up again.

“Hey,” Jasper said. “So... does Blue have that same scar on
her back? How’s that work?”

**Izzy:**

 Morgan shifted a bit. "Nah." She yawned. "I
mean, she did. Just got it healed, when -- I said she got beheaded, right? She
also got all fucked up in --." She gestured to her face. "Oh, yeah, I
guess Goro and the Basha kid told you about Goldie, huh. Anyway, Blue got her
scars fixed up so we'd match again. Just accidentally got rid of that one,
too."

Blue carried it around with her, though. She didn't need the
scar. Morgan thought -- she thought that she was Morgan, not Red, and Blue
didn't need the scars because she was the scar. And then Green and Goldie, they
were something less stable than scar tissue, like a sunken pit where flesh had been
carved out.

It was that, or she was Red, and she was just like them.
Same generation. And they were all fucking hypotrophic. She laid a hand
absently over her heart, where the tip of the stiletto had gone through her and
into her mattress. Just a scar.

**Coyote:**

 “Hey,” Jasper said. She sat next to Wyn so they could huddle
together in the cold. “You keep spacing out sometimes. Look like you’re
thinking about something. What’s bothering you?”

**Izzy:**

 "Eh?" She twitched away a bit, reflexively, then
relaxed again. There was more wind coming off the lake, up here, than on the
ground, and her dress wasn't particularly warm, but Jasper was. That was all
right. Sure. Just physical comfort.

"Shit, man, what's not bothering me," she joked
weakly.

**Coyote:**

 “Hey. You can tell me. I mean, I guess technically I’m one
of your many enemies, and I’m also a fucking blabbermouth who can’t keep a
secret, but... hey, you can tell me and I’ll plug my ears so I can’t hear it.
There we go.”

**Izzy:**

 She laughed. "That's, uh. That's creative problem
solving, right there. Nice one."

**Coyote:**

 “Alright,” Jasper said, amused. “How about this. I’ll throw
out random guesses, you tell me if they’re true or not. Thumbs up, thumbs
down.”

**Izzy:**

 "You must hang out with Goro a lot. Hey. Ah, shit, I was
gonna ask you if they don't have multiple choice questions in Skyport, but
you're from Moorland, you wouldn't know. Yeah, all right, hit me." She
could just ... fucking answer, she guessed. Her uncertainty about who or --
what, maybe -- she was wasn't a secret to the Graverunners.

This was more fun, though. And it'd fill up more time before
she had to remember she'd been awake for a week.

**Coyote:**

 “Blue’s gonna attack the wedding any minute,” Jasper said.
“She’s gonna kill us all. You’re just a distraction. A scout, more like, I
suppose. You’re nervous because you’ve actually gotten attached to us and feel
bad.”

**Izzy:**

 "Diabolical. I love it." She nodded. "Also,
aw. I am attached to you fucks. I mean, I'll still kill you all if I have you,
but it'd make me sad for a hot minute. Look, see --." She patted the
rapier belted to her hip. "I brought Raef a wedding gift and
everything." She straightened and stretched to look over the eave.
"The fuck did that guy get to, anyway? Bailing on his own party.
Hahah."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper laughed. “Slow dancing with his husband. Or he was,
least. Guess they’re gone now... Fucking adorable. Man... I really like seeing
him happy like this. He was, uh, kinda fucked us when I met him. Seems nice
he’s got a husband again.”

**Izzy:**

 "Yeah."

Morgan thought about Ysra, for a moment. Fifteen
motherfucking years.

"Yeah, you know, good for him."

**Coyote:**

 And there it was again. Wyn was easier to read when she was
exhausted. For a moment, she’d just stare like something inside her had broken.

Jasper has touched something. A nerve. The happy couple. It
bothered her.

“You used to have someone like that, huh,” Jasper said
slowly. “Maybe the guy you trusted, huh?” Then she shut her mouth. “Io. Listen,
I’ll just shut up. I doubt you wanna talk about it.” Wyn probably had better
things to do than pick apart her trauma with a stranger.

**Izzy:**

 She winced. Fuck her. She shouldn't be here, all fucking
tired and vulnerable and shit -- she rubbed at her face. Honestly, what was the
worst fucking thing that could happen, here? She spilled some personal shit to
Jasper, or Goro, later, or maybe fuckin' Roddy, and then what? Maybe they had
ammunition against her. Maybe they tried to manipulate her or hurt her feelings
by taunting her about Ysra, or something. Too bad. Morgan fucking Wyn didn't
have feelings to hurt, anymore.

"Nah. Nah, not really." She laughed humorlessly,
face still resting in her hand. "Maybe could've been, but hey. What
happens, happens, yeah? Too fucking bad."

**Coyote:**

 “Oh.” Jasper dug her nails into her arms. She unwrapped her
cloak so she could wrap it around her and Wyn both, thinking, Settle down. It’s
okay. You’re off the clock.

“What was he like?” Jasper said quietly.

**Izzy:**

 She felt herself tense up, again, and relax again. Yeah,
that warmer. That was nice. She really hadn't fucking thought ahead, wearing a
backless dress to an outdoor wedding. Well, hey, no one fuckin' told her it was
all going to be outside. Who the hell had an outdoor wedding in goddamn winter,
anyway, she thought fuzzily.

She peeked over at the pseudodragon, still a few feet away,
scratching at its scales. Maybe she could sneak in two fucking seconds of
sleep. This was okay; she sidled closer against Jasper. For warmth.

"He, uh." He was warm. "He was quiet. Fucking
hated me, but I was pretty goddamn hateable, so, you know, fair. The guild,
back home, when it was -- just back home -- we both lived in the guild housing,
and we were roommates, and I was a fucking mess. I was twenty-three. Dumb fuckin'
kid, still. And he was -- oh, I mean, he was a half-orc, so I think he was
about the same age, but older, y'know? And I was this piece of shit he just had
to put up with, sometimes, and then, I ... mm."

Sometimes she thought that if she'd never made that deal with
the Queen, Ysra would be alive, still, but he'd probably still hate her guts.
She'd probably still be the same idiot stuck in arrested development, entirely
worth hating.

"And then, you know, whatever. I had to grow the fuck
up and deal with the consequences of my fucking actions after I met the Queen.
Guess he felt bad for me. He tried to help me out. I mean, I was still a
jackass." She'd hurt him. She hadn't even thought about it. She hadn't
fucking known. "He was just real ... fucking good. He forgave me. He gave
a shit when he really didn't have to. And fucking shouldn't have,
clearly."

She took a breath and let it out slowly. Her eyes drifted
closed. Fucking Ysra. Fucking ruined everything. She missed the ashy smell of
his warpaint clinging to her pillow.

**Coyote:**

 “Mm.” He sounded nice. “Man. I’m sorry, Red. That sounds...
nice. I’m sorry you— didn’t get that. Didn’t get to— work things out with him,
I mean.”

She supposed she meant, I’m sorry you didn’t get to be
happy.

She kept stroking Wyn’s waist, because that seemed to be
working. Her eyes shifted over to the little red dragon, which seemed to be
paying less attention now.

She had an idea, suddenly. What if... she put the dragon to
sleep?

**Izzy:**

 "Yeah, well," she murmured. "Fucking killed
us, so Blue killed him. It happens." Yeah, that wasn't a thing that just
happened. "To me. Mostly. Not other people, so much, I bet."

She was trailing off into mumbles. She could feel herself
nodding off, and kept thinking -- any second now. Any second the pseudodragon
was going to come leap onto her shoulder and screech in her ear and jolt her
back awake. And if it didn't, the hell was she doing? Fucking dozing off on the
roof of some stables owned by people who openly planned to kill her, cuddled up
next to the most vocal proponent of the idea.

Complete goddamn idiocy.

But the dragon wasn't bothering her, and she sighed again,
and let her head drop against Jasper's shoulder.

**Coyote:**

 Jasper hummed quietly to herself, snatches of an old
lullaby, something her dad used to sing, maybe; she couldn’t remember. If
dragon woke Wyn up, she’d make her excuses and go find Goro. Goro was some kind
of smart guy, right? Maybe he’d know a way to put the dragon asleep.

She toyed with the knife strapped under her sleeve
absentmindedly. She rocked a little, very gently, wondering if the dragon would
notice or care that Red was drifting off.

**Izzy:**

 Morgan relaxed as she fell asleep.

The dragon turned in a circle and then laid down, tail
wrapped around itself, making a tiny huffing noise.

**Coyote:**

 Jasper held for still for a very long time, not even
breathing. It felt like a stray cat had fallen asleep in her lap, and she was
afraid if she moved too quickly, it'd wake and refuse to lie down again.

She waited a good twenty minutes until Wyn's breathing was
deep and even and she was sure Wyn was properly asleep. Then she very slowly
and gently rose to her feet, picking Wyn up. Thank god for Raef and his winged
boots. They made it very easy to just step over the edge of the roof and
levitate down.

The little red pseudodragon followed her. God, that bastard
was cute. Maybe it would be less evil once she killed the Sanguine Queen.

Alright. Now she needed a place to set Wyn, somewhere warm
and quiet. Somewhere nobody would stab her. Jasper spotted Goro across the way;
he was sitting outside, scowling as usual. She quietly padded over, carrying
Wyn bridal-style as the dragon prowled after her. "Hey," she called
quietly. "Fuckin'... Goro. Hey, I need your help."

**Lina:**

Goro watched Jasper approaching, and he squinted, trying to
make sure he really was seeing what he thought he was seeing.

He lurched to his feet and ran to meet her, reaching into
his robes for his wand. "Shit, is she okay?"

**Coyote:**

 "Shh, shh. It's fine, she's fine. She's, uh, fucking...
allowed to sleep now, I guess," Jasper muttered. "Dunno. She just
kind've fell asleep on me while we were talking and the little dragon didn't
wake her... neat, huh? Anyway-- listen, where do we like... set her."

Jasper narrowed her eyes. She thought about putting Wyn in
her room, but that seemed weird. Was there a spare room? Maybe somewhere Jasper
could sit outside. She was pretty sure the whole party knew that Wyn was a
freaky hydra thing and killing her wouldn't do any good, but better not take
any chances.

**Lina:**

"Oh, uh. Huh." He eyed the pseudodragon, which was
following along a few feet behind. Didn't seem aggressive, or anything. Morgan
Wyn looked like a fucking corpse, she was out so hard. Goro beckoned for Jasper
to follow him. "There's a couch right in the sun room. Come on."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper followed him. "This was way easier than drugging
her," she muttered to herself. "Or drugging the little dragon fuck.
Or killing it, I guess..."

**Lina:**

Goro pushed open the sun room door and pointed to one of the
couches, frowning at Jasper. "The fuck? Why would you drug... you know,
maybe I don't wanna know. Won't do any good to kill the dragon, by the way.
It's a familiar. She'll just send another. Also, Morgan said that thing can kill
people."

**Coyote:**

 "Huh. How long d'you figure it'd take them to get her a
new familiar? It take a while to cast?" She set Wyn down on the couch, arranging
her comfortably.

**Lina:**

"Man, I don't know shit about hydras. You? I mean,
normally a familiar's not even supposed to be more than a mile away from the
caster, but here we are."

**Coyote:**

 "Nah, I don't know a goddamn thing about magic,"
Jasper said. "I stab things, they die. That is the extent of my skills.
Hey, you know anybody that can talk to dead folks? I'm trying to figure out how
to... not kill Wyn. She mentioned this guy-- some fucker named Ysra-- I think
we could try finding his body and talking to him, maybe that'd dig something
up."

**Lina:**

Goro pointed to himself. "Me. I can. The dead are usually
less useful than people expect 'em to be, though. And why the hell would the
guy who killed her have good tips on not killing her? You gotta think this shit
through."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper shrugged. "He knows half a story Red doesn't. He
killed her for a reason. Curious about what that reason is."

**Lina:**

"Oh, yeah, I'm with you there. Nothing to stop him from
lying, though, or just being a cryptic fuck. Still, might be worth a shot. Hey,
let's work together. You dig up the body--I'm not into that kind of thing--and
I'll do the talking."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper smirked. "Yeah. That's, uh, probably for the
best." She chuckled fondly. What a scrawny little weirdo. Of course she'd
need to dig up the body for him. And yeah, probably best he did the talking;
god, if the dead talked in riddles, she'd never fucking understand what they
were saying.

**Lina:**

Goro looked down at Wyn, crossing his arms. "Doubt
she'll tell us where to find him, though. She's a cagey motherfucker, this one.
She won't even tell me where to find her boss. Worried I'll go after the thing.
Which, to be fair, she's right."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper laughed. "Yeah. Fucking same. Well, if we find a
way to fix it so she doesn't die, maybe she'll tell us then, right?"

**Lina:**

"Y'know, I'm not so sure. I don't think it's that
simple. But we can sure try. You come up with some way to keep her from dying,
you let me know."

**Coyote:**

 “Yeah. Sure.” Jasper settled down next to the couch. She was
bored as hell at this party. Might as well take a break.

As much as Jasper loved hanging out with people, sometimes
it was exhausting, and she needed a break to sit somewhere quietly. She didn’t
really like parties— too many people, she supposed, too much going on. Jasper
snapped the hidden knife out of her hair, then flicked it open. She pulled an
unfinished bone charm out of her pocket and began carving it.

**Lina:**

Goro switched from watching Wyn to watching Jasper. The hell
was up with this lady, anyway.

He narrowed his eyes. "You know your stupid brother
broke my best friend's heart?"

**Coyote:**

 Jasper's hackles rose. She narrowed her eyes at Goro
briefly. Azriel had, in fact, hidden under the bed and been screeching
something about She's going to kill me. God, Jasper loved him, but not this
again.

She liked Larkin. Why'd he have to go and piss off somebody
she liked?

"Yeah, I seriously doubt that," Jasper said, and
went back to chipping her new charm.

**Lina:**

"The fuck's that supposed to mean?"

**Coyote:**

 Jasper shrugged. "Hey, chill out. You're gonna wake
Red."

**Lina:**

"No, I'm not. I could probably scream in her ear right
now and she'd jerk a little and go right fucking back to sleep. Have you seen
Larkin tonight? She's right over there in the kitchen, all drunk and
weepy."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper scoffed. She set down her carving and looked at Goro.
"Are you seriously suggesting that Larkin Basha-- that Larkin Basha-- is
in love with my pansy brother, Azriel Melaine."

Azriel. Dainty little Azriel. God, she loved him, but...
haha, nah.

**Lina:**

Goro shrugged. "I know, there's no accounting for taste.
But she's pretty fucking upset."

**Coyote:**

 "Yeah? Well, she can be upset all she goddamn wants.
Azriel's fucking terrified of her."

**Lina:**

"Good. He should be. He should be fucking scared of me,
too, and Hansel. Fuckin' around with Larkin like that."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper stared at Goro a good ten seconds. She looked at the
knife in her hand, then back at Goro. She closed it with a snap and then put it
back in her hair, then stuck the bone charm in her pocket.

She rose to her feet and walked closer to Goro.

**Lina:**

Goro kept his arms crossed and backed away a couple steps.

**Coyote:**

 Jasper gripped the front of his robes and shoved him against
the wall. He was only an inch or two shorter than her, but scrawnier, and she
held him pretty easily.

"Listen here, you little shit--" she said.

**Lina:**

"The fuck! Get your fucking hands off me." Goro
dropped down, wrenching his clothes out of her grip and skittering away to the
side. "What the fuck's your problem?"

**Coyote:**

 Huh. Bastard was faster than he looked. "Look,"
she said, not moving. "Azriel's a fucking asshole, sometimes. Everyone is.
We all are. Back in Moorland, his whole job was sleeping with people to get on
their good side. He'd pretend to be whatever they wanted to please them and
talk them into doing his bidding. Yeah, he does that."

She held up her hands. "I'm really fucking sorry about
Larkin. Honestly, I'm not real fucking surprised the first thing he did in
Skyport was find a Basha, sleep with her, and lie about it. She ought to call
him an asshole, and she ought to punch him in his face and break his nose. Hey,
he deserves that."

She leaned a little closer.

"But he doesn't deserve getting fucked up or murdered
by three separate people," Jasper said. "He doesn't deserve to be
hiding under his bed, afraid you or your half-orc boyfriend or Larkin Basha is
gonna come stab him because he fucked with the wrong person. He doesn't deserve
to get tortured over this. He deserves a good punch. That's all."

**Lina:**

"Psh. You're real naive, aren't you Jasper? People
hardly ever get what they deserve. They either get way less, or way more.
That's the way the world is."

**Coyote:**

 Ha, god, fuck this guy. She kinda liked him. What a little
cynical bastard.

"I'm not naïve, I'm just not a fucking defeatist,"
she said. "You're the goddamn person talking about giving Azriel way more
than he deserves. You realize you can just not, right?"

**Lina:**

"Yeah? Who died and made you queen of figuring out what
people deserve? Maybe I think Azriel deserves a couple stabs. He's a bard,
right? Got healing magic probably. He'll live."

**Coyote:**

 "Nah, nah," Jasper said. "Listen. You can do
that. I'm not the queen of figuring out what people deserve. We just have
differing viewpoints, y'know? Different ideas about it. Which is fine. I respect
that. Agree to disagree."

She leaned her hand on the wall next to him.

"Here's the thing, though," Jasper said. "If
you stab my brother and I don't think he deserves it, I'm gonna stab you. Exact
same spot. Exact same way."

**Lina:**

"Yeah, that's alright. I'm an old hat at getting
stabbed. Comes with the territory of stabbing other people. Also, hey, can you
fuck off? Quit trying to intimidate me in my own fucking home. You're a guest
here." He jabbed two fingers against her sternum.

**Coyote:**

 Jasper leaned back, amused. Yeah, she really fucking liked
this guy. Direct.

"Hey," Jasper said. "I'm not trying to
intimidate you. I'm just explaining. I mean, I was trying to intimidate you
initially, but then you got away..." Fast little bastard, huh.

**Lina:**

"Look at your fucking body language, right now."
Goro gestured up and down at her. "The arm on the wall, look at the
position of your feet. That's a fucking fighting stance. Now look at the size
of you, and the size of me. Do you just not think about this shit? You just
bumble through your life, getting what you want out of people and assuming they
give it to you outta the goodness of their hearts?"

**Coyote:**

 Jasper narrowed her eyes. "Hey, fuck off."

**Lina:**

"You fuck off. This is my castle."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper felt vaguely bad for scaring him-- if she was scaring
him. She took a few steps back to give the poor kid some breathing room.

"You sure?" Jasper said, and dug the deed out of
her pocket. She grinned. "Apparently it's Taryon Darrington's castle."

**Lina:**

Goro laughed, because that was a pretty good joke, he had to
admit. "Ooh. Hey, gimme that." He held his hand out.

**Coyote:**

 Jasper shrugged and tossed it over. She could steal it back.

**Lina:**

"Thanks." Goro unrolled it and looked it over.
There was Darrington's signature to copy, if they needed to--he seemed to
recall Roddy being good with forgery, or something like that. Though, they
could also force him to sign the place over while he was locked in their
dungeon. Plenty of options. That was good.

Goro folded the deed up and tucked it inside his robes. He
nodded at Jasper. "Well, uh. Have a nice rest of your night, I guess. I'm
guessing you're gonna keep an eye on her?" He indicated Wyn.

**Coyote:**

 “Yeah. Rather make sure nobody tries to kill her. We don’t
need anymore Wyns. And dying probably isn’t pleasant.” She sat down again,
folding her legs. “Hey, for real. I’m not trying to fucking scare you, I’m just
letting you know. You stab my little brother, I stab you. Simple. I like you.
Just not gonna let you fuck with Azriel.”

**Lina:**

"Ooh. How fucking special that makes you. 'No one
messes with my siblings!' God, never heard that one before."

**Coyote:**

 "Hey now," Jasper said, glancing up from her
carving. "You can fuck with Gabriel all you want. You can fuck with Abel,
too, but he'll fuck back. I honestly wouldn't recommend it."

**Lina:**

"How many fucking siblings do you have? Goddamn."
That was fair, though; Goro hadn't interacted much with that Gabriel guy, but
he gave off asshole vibes all around.

**Coyote:**

 Jasper slowly counted on her fingers. "Abe, Gabe, Az,
me, and Amy. So five. Wait-- fuck, I'm not supposed to count myself when I
count my siblings. Haha. Four, I guess."

She glanced at Goro. It seemed unfair, somehow. Azriel was
tiny. He was a bard, for fuck's sake. He was terrified of guts and gore.
Gabriel and Abel could defend themselves, but Azriel? Nah. Fucking nah.
Defending Azriel was Jasper's job.

Jasper toyed with her bone carving. "Listen. Azriel
shouldn't have fucked with your friend. I'm sorry." She decided to leave
it there. "You decide to fuck with my brother, I'll see you there. Do what
you want." She went back to her carving.

**Lina:**

Goro almost took the opportunity to walk out--Jasper didn't
seem like she was in a very chatty mood--but, hell. What was she even doing
there? "What are you even doing here, anyway?"

**Coyote:**

 "In the castle?" Jasper said, amused. "Goin'
to a goddamn wedding, I guess. Raef's getting fucking married. Love that guy.
Kept me from getting eaten by spiders, once. Saved my goddamn life-- don't tell
him that, I usually just tell him I wouldn't have died anyway."

**Lina:**

Goro snorted. "He probably knows. People never believe
me when I tell 'em I wouldn't have died, after they save me. Pretty sure it's
true, though. I was completely alone for years, and I always scraped by."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper looked up at him, startled. Aw no. No, that was
fucking sad. All alone like how?

Wait. Wait, hang on. Fuck, no, she was supposed to be mad at
this guy. God damn it.

"Alone like how?" Jasper said. Oh my god, shut up,
Jasper, she thought.

**Lina:**

"Alone like fucking alone. My mom disappeared when I
was, I don't know, six or seven, and it was just me and the glamorous streets
of Skyport after that."

**Coyote:**

 "Io's tits, that's sad," Jasper said. "I
mean, I guess my mom was an evil mastermind and all, but at least I had clothes
and food, I guess."

Then she sobered up, a little, looking away. She fiddled
with the bone charm. "At least I had Azriel," she said, almost to
herself. And her other siblings, too.

She looked at Goro again. Goddamn if she was gonna let him,
or anybody else, take Azriel away.

**Lina:**

Goro swallowed, clenching his teeth. He fucking hated
watching people make their first golly gee, maybe not everyone was lucky enough
to have a home and family all their lives realization. He hated being the
fucking example.

"Yup. Yeah. Lucky you. I don't have any fucking
siblings, not that I know of, but I do have Larkin. Took me a while to find
her, but I got her now."

**Coyote:**

 "Yeah," Jasper said, softening a bit. "Hey.
Nobody's gonna take her away from you, alright? I've got her back too. I'm just
not-- y'know-- gonna let her stab my brother."

**Lina:**

"Pff. Yeah. Fuckin' fine. Guess we've got a nice little
truce on our hands, then. Hey, you wanna take this to its logical end, though,
if I stab Azriel, and then you stab me, guess who's gonna stab you?"

**Coyote:**

 Jasper grinned. "Nobody. I'm invincible."

**Lina:**

Goro rolled his eyes, half smiling. "Yeah, alright,
same here."

**Coyote:**

 "Yeah, yeah. Same page, then. Same page. Hey. Y'know,
if Larkin's really that upset about Az, she might not actually want you to stab
him," Jasper said. "Just thinking out loud."

**Lina:**

"Hey, I got a question. Have we been having this whole
conversation with you thinking I was literally about to march down to Skyport,
take out my knife, and sink it into your brother's kidney? I'm getting a little
worried we're not on the same page."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper snorted, and it turned into a laugh. "I do not
think you are going to walk to Skyport alone and sink a knife into my brother's
kidney," she said. "But... I don't fucking know. I think you might
threaten him or encourage him to freak the fuck out. I think if it broke out
into a fight, you might extract some revenge. Am I wrong? I can be wrong,
sometimes."

**Lina:**

"Nah, nah. You're right on the money this time. Larkin
and I understand each other, I think, because my boyfriend--the big guy, the
half-orc who was Raef's best man. She's afraid he's gonna hurt me, and she's
made contingency plans already for shooting him in the neck. Which, you might
imagine, I'm pretty opposed to. So yeah, I know exactly how Larkin feels about
me making threats about her boy toy. We got an uneasy peace going, you could
say."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper stared at him. Then she looked around the reception
outside the windows, and then she looked back at Goro.

"You people are all fucking crazy," she said
seriously.

**Lina:**

"Then get out," he said, unamused. "This is
my fucking family."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper blinked at him. And then she glanced back at the
wedding again.

She felt really fucking out of place, here, with all these
people who obviously knew each other and loved each other. She really liked
Roddy-- he was funny, and smarter than he acted. She loved Raef to death. And
Larkin was... well, Larkin was Larkin.

But it was weird, counting on her fingers and realizing she
only knew three people here, and the rest of them didn't really seem to like
her. She'd been hanging on the edges by herself for most of the night. Didn't
really have anyone to talk to. Raef was busy; Larkin was giving everyone fuck
off looks; and who knew where Roddy was.

That's why she'd hidden up on the roof. Seemed easier than
admitting she felt like a fucking outsider. She'd always been the black sheep,
even in her own family. Didn't know how to fit in.

She shrugged uncomfortably and went back to her carving.

**Lina:**

Ah, shit. He hadn't wanted to hurt her feelings, or
whatever. He'd thought she was just being stuck up.

"Have you... met everyone here?" he asked.
"Do you know everyone's names, and everything? I know, big group like
this, it gets hard to keep track."

**Coyote:**

 "Me? Nah," Jasper said, nonplussed. "I
mean... I know Larkin... I know Roddy and Raef.... I know everybody's names, just
don't fucking knowthem
personally." She went back to carving her bone charm. "Listen, don't
worry about it. I've been an outsider my whole goddamn life. My family's not
exactly happy with me. Azriel's their type, not the big idiot fighter. I'm used
to sitting by myself outside parties."

**Lina:**

"Eh, I could introduce you properly, if you wanted. Or
just tell you about 'em, so you've got a better feel."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper shrugged noncommittally. She felt like she already
had a pretty good grasp on everyone. But: "I'd rather stay here and make
sure nobody makes another Wyn."

**Lina:**

"Ah, yeah, fair. Hah, hey, you're pretty funny, you
know that? Yeah, of course you do. You've got that Mishka 'I'm great and I know
it' energy. Hey, how about this, then, I'll quiz you. I'll describe someone at
this wedding, and you tell me who they are."

**Coyote:**

 Jasper snorted, amused. "Yeah, sure. Why not."

**Lina:**

"Alright, let's see here." Goro craned his neck to
look around outside, through the windows. "Okay. Middle-aged human woman,
black hair going gray. She's really fucking nice, but somehow she also gives
off this vibe like she's been waiting to shank a motherfucker and just needs
the right opportunity."

**Coyote:**

 "... Ripley?" That could be Ripley.

**Lina:**

Goro snorted. "Like Ripley would wait to shank a
motherfucker. You got another guess?"

**Coyote:**

 Jasper pointed out the window, to where a black-haired woman
sat outside with a nervous-looking cleric girl.

**Lina:**

"Yeah-huh. You got a name? Hey, I'm not trying to put
you on the spot, I just hate to give the answer if someone already knows
it."

**Coyote:**

 "Sure fucking don't," Jasper said. "Got names
for... let's see. Ripley, Goro... that's you... Roddy the tortle, Raef, Raef's
husband Griffin, Larkin Basha, Taryon Darrington... the half-orc is Roddy's
dad, Hansel... that's it."

**Lina:**

"Alright, well, that's Marion. She's Hansel's mother.
Just reunited with him for the first time in twenty years. I love her, she's
great. She'd love you, I bet, you should go say hello. So, I'm guessing you
don't know the girl sitting next to her either, huh?"

**Coyote:**

 "She's a cleric," Jasper said, shrugging.

**Lina:**

"Sure is. Great one, from what I've seen. Her name's
Luci, er, Lucienne. She's Hansel's daughter. She... might not like you that much,
actually. You're kinda loud. But hey, you never know, so's Roddy. Alright,
let's see, who else... oh, here's a good one. Older half-orc lady. Fuckin' dead
woman walking. I swear she's been knocked out three times today already."

**Coyote:**

 "Dead woman walking, huh? How's that?" Jasper
said, amused. "You gonna shank her? She break Larkin's heart too?"

**Lina:**

"Nah, she's sick. Got some kind of disease even magic
can't fix. But, funny you should mention--she hasn't broken anyone's heart,
that I know of, but she did break a couple of my fingers one time, and it was
all I could do to keep Hansel from fuckin' killing her right then and there.
Mishka, too, he was talking about poisoning her there for a while. Oh yeah,
fair warning, you stab me, you're gonna have those two after you."

**Coyote:**

 "Ha," Jasper said, waving her hand dismissively.
"Yeah, that's fine. Alright, so... the half-orc. He's Roddy's dad, and
your boyfriend, and... he'd kill people for Larkin, so maybe he's dating her or
he's her dad too... but also the cleric is his daughter... so-- fuck, wait,
does that make you all their dad too?"

**Lina:**

"No." Goro paused and frowned, thinking about it
more carefully. The response had been automatic. "I mean, I don't think
so. I think Mishka'd get first dibs at being dad to any of 'em, and it doesn't
seem like that's the case, so... nah, they've all just got Hansel as their dad,
and that's it. Don't call him the half-orc, by the way, when you know his
fucking name. Oh, and that reminds me, I didn't tell you the other lady's name.
Gavi. The one who broke my fingers. Don't piss her off, I guess."

**Coyote:**

 Ha. Fair about the name, she supposed. "Why not? What's
she gonna do, stab me?"

**Lina:**

Goro shrugged. "Or pin you against the wall and break
your fingers. Actually, on second thought, you could probably take her. You're
fine."

**Coyote:**

 "Yeah, exactly. Invincible. See?" Jasper mimed
punching. "Hey, you want help getting Tarrington to sign that deed? Then
maybe we can toss him out in the woods or something. I warn you, though, I
should do... none of the talking. And I mean that. Literally none."

**Lina:**

"Eh. I might ask Mishka for advice, before I do
anything with Tarrington. He's better at this kind of shit. He's probably not
the only Darrington out there, you know? Don't want this coming back to bite
us. But sure. I'll hit you up, when I need some muscle to enforce whatever I
decide to do."

**Coyote:**

 "Yeah, sure." Jasper waved him away and finished
her bone-carving. "Thanks for the help."

[end]

**Izzy:**

 Title: Nap. Summary: Sleep-deprived Red Wyn crashes Raef and
Griffin's wedding. She hangs out with Jasper, talking about the Sanguine Queen
and Ysra, and hits on her, but Jasper shoots her down until she gets some
sleep. Red then does, in fact, get some sleep, and Jasper finds Goro, who
directs them to a safe place for Wyn to nap. Jasper and Goro have an
altercation but end up on positive terms.