☆ Event: Mirror Mix-Up

[moustre]

Event Log: November, Mirror Mix-Up

The 20th of Noveuer starts out innocuous. The Looking Glass House is quiet and still at this late hour, largely empty but for the apprentice Witch dusting the many mirrors on the walls in the middle of the night. When the bells chime for 3 am, though, a night of tidying turns into something... a little more hectic. He panics, initially, as things push through various mirrors to scatter across the floor, and then animals, scurrying about, unhappy with their current change in locations. He clings to his duster and waits apprehensively for more Mirrorbound to slip through, prepared to run and get Miss Nessie, but the minutes tick by, and none come. Eventually, he can't ignore the mess any longer, and flees to fetch someone higher up to deal with this nonsense.

I. Early Morning Message The initial hours after 3 am are a bit of a nightmare. Miss Nessie is unavailable, stuck in a long Parliament meeting with Mhairi that has continued into the early morning, and her assistant, given new duties lately due to her packed schedule, is sent to speak with her. It's a bit of a cluster, everything - they've never had something like this happen before! Then again, they'd never had people come through either, until the first group of Mirrorbound several months ago. She gets away long enough around 6 am to make a magical announcement to Mirrorbound only, her voice, at a casual speaking tone, carrying across the city enough to be heard anywhere. "Good morning, Mirrorbound! So sorry for disturbing you at this time of morning, dears, I am. It's just that we've had a bit of an incident in the Looking-Glass House last night! How strange, what I'm hearing, how bizarre. If you would all please report to the Looking-Glass House at your earliest convenience, we believe we may have some things of yours, we do. The sooner the better, as- well, some of the things come through the mirrors last night must be pets! They're terrorizing my poor staff. Now, I won't be the one to greet you, I'm afraid, I'm still quite wrapped up with Parliament, but I hope you'll all be kind to my Assistant Theodore and his Bonded, Sowilo. They'll be making sure everyone gets their things back. Theodore might be a bit buttoned-up, but he's a good lad! Bye for now, dears, I must away back to my meeting, but rest assured, we will be looking into today's unexpected surprise!" After it's been heard, the message cuts off - it's impossible to miss unless one is trying very hard to miss it. Miss Nessie's duties will keep her away during this event, but limited NPC interactions, IC or handwaved OOC, are available with her newly-minted assistant Theodore Rosethorne, and his Bonded Fae, Sowilo. In the future, anything requiring Nessie may also be brought to Theodore! The NPC Contact page will be updated in the next few days to reflect this change. There may be a slight delay on Theodore's responses, but all NPC interaction requests will be answered as soon as possible.

II. A Bit of a Mix-Up It's a red-headed Fae in shoe-lifts who arrives first, glamoured to look perfectly put together despite his long hair being up in a haphazard bun, having been dragged out of his bed to deal with a crisis this early in the morning. He immediately starts directing efforts, red dragonfly wings occasionally flicking with irritation as he reads things off a clipboard and directs this to be piled there and that pet to be corralled before it crashes into something or sets something on fire. The other Witches are a little apprehensive about his presence, but when one protests, he just says with a scowl, "Excuse you. I am Bonded to Miss Nessie's right hand man." The efforts to reunite incoming Mirrorbound with their possessions and pets are... well, an effort is made. Sowilo may just shove something into your arms and announce in an authoritative voice, "You look like you could use one of these." He hears no arguments that it doesn't belong to that person, brushing them off with a haughty, "Well, find the owner, then, make yourself useful, hm?" Before he flits on to the next Mirrorbound, the next item or creature, eager to get rid of everything cluttering up the Looking-Glass House. Fae. Sometimes they're just like that. While the Witches are bustling around trying to get everything sorted out (it's impossible to match things to mirrors, but an attempt is made anyway), it's easy enough to breeze past them and survey the goods on your own, but no one will be allowed to leave with more than one item or creature in their hands or pockets; Sowilo has a sharp eye, and attempted theft will result in an illusion being placed on the thief of being trapped in a maze with their worst nightmare. It lasts until the extra item is returned or will otherwise dissipate after three days. Those that can see through illusions naturally or through practice get a stickier punishment - literally, one of the Witches present will, when prompted by Sowilo, charm the thief with a glue-trap spell, which will cause them to stick to everything except what they're trying to steal - again, until the extra item is returned, or until three days have passed. There isn't much warning about the punishment for attempted theft. The rumors have it that Sowilo's family are descended from Unseelie, and he's... a pain in the behind, to put it lightly. As a reminder, all mixed-up items should eventually find their way back to their original owners unless explicitly plotted out otherwise!

III. Late Morning After a couple of hours of Sowilo's "management", Theodore Rosethorne finally arrives. One quick glance and the poor Witch already looks like he's going to faint. Miss Nessie's assistant is a young Witch who seems to hold himself as prim and proper as possible. Clothes neat and straight. The only thing that seems to be impossible to tame is the mess of curls on his head. He takes the clipboard from his Bonded, but seems at a bit of a loss. Mirrorbound arriving later in the morning are much more likely to get an item that actually belongs to them, though mix-ups may still happen. He gives the best smile he can offer before adjusting his glasses. Exasperated. "I'm quite sorry. Terribly so. If it isn't too much trouble, it would help us greatly if you could find the original owner. I only just escaped digging up documents from Miss Bell's desk..." Needless to say, the poor guy seems to have been thrown into the thick of it and already overwhelmed. Oh, and about Sowilo? "I apologize. He's...Well, he can be a lot when you first meet him." Or a lot in general. Sowilo is quite the character! For those having trouble finding the original owners of whatever they've been given through more conventional means such as word-of-mouth or the Watches, a quick spell is taught and passed out in slips of paper meant to be stuck to the item in question - it acts as a divining rod, pointing the item toward the owner and pulling the person holding it along for the ride. Careful! The charm has no mind for things like walls and doors and people in the way, and will always try to pull the holder in the shortest possible line to its owner. This isn't much help for pets, though, who have minds of their own, and, in some cases, just don't want to be corralled by strange and somewhat-frantic Witches or Monsters.

Welcome to November's event log! Regains arrive through the mirrors ICly on the morning of the 20th. Questions can be found HERE, and if you wish to interact with Theodore and Sowilo, our newest NPCs, comment HERE. You have the option of handwaving the IC interaction to OOCly ask what questions your character might have for them, for us to summarize an answer for, or you can request an IC thread. Simply specify in your comment's subject and we'll respond accordingly. As always, feel free to use this log or make your own!

Comments

[beariot]

[ Alcor warbled out a vague repetition of the sound, causing a small giggle from Chariot. Okay... she could do this. ]

I do think so. You said you were lost, right? Can you think of anything familiar about this place at all? Something that might help center you?

[long_live_the_queen]

[The laughter was infectious; the Chimera giggled at the bird, too. The bird had seemed a bit scary at first, but it wasn't so bad after all.

Nyu's mouth opened again to say something, but immediately thought better of it. She didn't want to just...dump the information that she shouldn't have woken up at all on this nice lady. Nothing about this place was familiar, either; there weren't any cars, not even scooters, the buildings were all too tall and spiky and close together. People were dressed oddly--even when they looked human. Some looked like this form did. She really did feel lost. But Nyu would try. The nice lady asked.]

Um. Well, I...woke up in a big house, again? The sea is nearby. And...the sun is shining.

[beariot]

[ A big house... ]

Did this house have a really lovely garden? Could you tell me about the flowers there, if it did?

[ She needed to be certain she was talking about her own house, the one she shared with Maria. If she'd woken anywhere else... No. No she had to keep her worries down, now more than ever. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Nyu nodded, the gesture big enough to be obvious even without her antlers.]

It did! It's all faded right now, but there were lots of sunflowers in it.

[beariot]

[ That confirmed it, at least. She hadn't been anywhere but her own house and the city proper, at least since waking up. Chariot gave a nod, holding out a hand for her. ]

Let's walk around and see if there's anything else that might seem familiar, okay?

[ Hopefully the bond itself, Chariot focusing on her memories of Kaede and the life they'd been sharing together, would help find those memories... and maybe start to solve the mystery that had been forced onto her at the moment. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Nyu took that hand readily; no cautious staring or paranoid hesitations. The only pause was when Nyu stopped her hand from curling all the way, keeping her claws away.

And there was that little zap again, but it didn't hurt this time. And this lady--Chariot--didn't seem to notice it. But it felt...right. Warm, comforting, like taking her hand was something Nyu should be doing. The Chimera shuffled closer, falling into a spot to Chariot's left side. That seemed right, though she couldn't put her finger on why.]

Okay. Tell me if my...hands hurt you, too?

[She couldn't bring herself to say claws. Nasty, horrid sharp things curling from her fingertips. She hadn't paid much mind to her nails before, but now she missed them terribly.]

Can we go to the bridge?

[Nyu pointed at the big bridge over the river with her free hand. It was the biggest, she...remembered? Had she passed this way before?]

[beariot]

[ With a physical connection reigniting the circuit of their bond, it made it that much easier to keep her anxieties quiet and fill the energy between them with affectionate thoughts and memories, hopefully helping cut through the cloud of confusion she found on the other side still, the vexingly familiar-yet-unfamiliar existence that was Nyu... ]

Okay. We can go there. [ Chariot nodded, and Alcor nodded in turn, as if to mimic his master. Chariot wasn't worried about Nyu's claws. She'd been through that whole ordeal with Kaede, after all, and understood the care that needed to be taken. There was confidence in the way she held Nyu's hand, giving her a light squeeze. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[With every step, the world didn't seem so cold, so bright. Still strange, but now there was someone to guide her through it. Nyu found herself drifting closer to Chariot's side until their arms touched, glancing over at her companion every few steps. This was a good person, Nyu had decided. A safe person. Whenever her thoughts drifted towards Chariot, they found only warmth and affection there. And some fuzzy, indistinct clouds that didn't match.

But she remembered--

...she remembered?

With a blink Nyu stopped, a third of the way across the bridge.]

Have we...met before?

[The affection in her mind was joined by overt curiosity, brushing this way and that like a playful breeze. Nyu peered intently at Chariot's face, ears forward and head slightly tilted, though without her antlers the latter was harder to notice. What wasn't was the brightness in her eyes, the openness in Nyu's gaze--things squashed out or closed off in Kaede's.]

[beariot]

[ The differences were palpable. She was used to a low burn feeling of affection coming through the bond from Kaede, but Nyu's was so much more... bright. Almost too bright. She was definitely the one 'shining' between the two of them in that moment. How to handle this... ]

W-well... Yes. Yes we have. Or, to be more precise, I know... Kaede. Do you know who Kaede is, Nyu?

[long_live_the_queen]

[Like a child, Nyu's emotions burned fast, without knowledge or care for tempering themselves. The good--and bad. Her reaction this time followed the same line, but in the opposite direction.

Nyu blanched, ears pinning flat to her head.]

...yes. [She said, in a very small, very quiet voice.] I'm--not that...person. [Nyu's voice dropped even lower.] She...she scares me.

[Just a slight understatement. The roiling wave of fear and dread behind her words matched her expression.

Suddenly, her free hand came up to grab Chariot's shoulder, alarmed panic joining the dread.]

Did she--did she hurt you?

[Though, why was she being so nice if someone wearing Nyu's face hurt her?]

[beariot]

[ Chariot was caught off guard by the panic at first, but surprising even herself, it didn't feed into her own nerves and she found it pretty easy to counteract with calm and affection. Probably because... that was just the state her heart came to when thinking about Kaede.

She gently placed her other hand on Nyu's, shaking her head. ]

Not at all. Though I can see why you're scared of her, she's never hurt me... she's someone I love very very much.

[long_live_the_queen]

[That worry and fear blossoming in her mind lost its edge, gradually. But not so gradually it seemed like something spun out of her own mind. Nyu shook her head, but the feeling remained.

And...was it really so bad? To feel calm? Chariot's other hand touched hers, unafraid of her claws and scales and feathers. Nyu's flattened ears lifted, just a little.

And then a lot of a little, as her expression transitioned from fear to something perplexed.]

...what?

[The killer in her mind was a terrible thing, a force as unstoppable as a wildfire with the spite of a human being. Something dreadful, something to be feared.

There had never been room in her mind to consider that someone didn't think that way.]

[beariot]

[ She can't help a small chuckle. ]

I think... she finds it just as surprising as you do, but you can tell, right? Everything I've said to you is the truth...

[ She gently squeezed Nyu's hand, letting more of that affection pass through the pond, more of her lived truth with Kaede. She knew Kaede would be considered "dangerous" by others. She didn't know the full scope of what she'd done before showing up across the mirror, but she knew it was probably something severe, if anything about the flashes she's gotten from her was to be believed. But even so... ]

I love her. It's that simple.

[long_live_the_queen]

[Nyu's mouth opened, and closed again into a little frown without saying anything. It was--true, what Chariot said. She knew so, in a way that ran deeper than thought. She hadn't met this person for more than a few minutes, and yet she knew what it felt like when Chariot was being dishonest. There were flickers of memories too, ones that weren't hers--the feeling of cold rain on her skin with Chariot's warmth nearby, Chariot smiling at her.

That monster could make people smile...?

No. That couldn't be right.

Nyu's question was just as simple.]

But...why?

[Simple and complicated.]

[beariot]

[ Complicated was right. Honestly before Nyu had asked her point blank, she'd never really been forced to truly articulate any of the reasoning behind her feelings for Kaede. The very idea didn't even seem that sound, as love was inherently an irrational emotion, and yet... Well she couldn't just skip over it, could she? The curiosity and sincere befuddlement she felt over the bond wasn't something she could so easily dismiss. ]

W-well, that is...

I just saw someone so lonely that I felt like I could just put some warmth and comfort in their life, in addition to the Bond helping us keep safe, and... over time, our connection just blossomed. I got to see inside her heart in a way a lot of others couldn't... [ Though she certainly wasn't the only one who had. And Zack hadn't needed a bond for it. Something... she also hadn't really confronted. ]

It all came to a head when her legs went numb and I had to rush to make sure she was okay. The fear of possibly losing her was something that had been weighing on me and I guess when it felt that much more real in that moment... love was what bloomed forth from that aforementioned blossom, when I was finally assured she was okay...

[long_live_the_queen]

[The more Nyu listened, the more it felt like she was trespassing on something private, and she wanted to shy away in embarrassment. But she'd asked. It was the least she could do to stay.

Accepting what she heard was another matter entirely.]

That...can't be right.

[Nyu shook her head; her disbelief felt small and insignificant as a pebble against the tide of earnest affection in her mind. But Nyu clung to it still.

That didn't sound like her at all. That sounded like...a person. A lonely, miserable person. Someone others worried for.]

[beariot]

[ Chariot's empathy is brushed along, and she can't help but feel weight in her heart over Nyu's struggle to accept her feelings... honestly, she figured it was a pretty honest expression of Kaede's own doubts. That these were the same things she asked and said of herself. It seemed... fitting. ]

I know it's difficult to accept, sometimes, the feelings of others, particularly when you feel like... they aren't deserved... [ Boy did she know that feeling so damned well. When Ramesses had first kissed her during that faithful, she nearly had a panic attack over it. She had no concept of herself as someone worthy of anyone's time or affection, and yet... ]

But I think Kaede deserves love as much as anyone does... And I'll always have it for her, no matter what happens. [ A squeeze of Nyu's hand, affirming it. ]

She is someone I've decided to 'shine' for...

[long_live_the_queen]

[Which was true? The sincere love and caring empathy she'd come to understand was Chariot's and wasn't a lie, or the wretched truths Nyu once knew without a doubt? The squeeze of her hand, the warmth in her mind that was anything but hate and fear--these things eroded what Nyu thought she knew as true. Chariot's love was sincere, that was true. And Kaede had done horrible things, that was also true.

Nyu shuddered, even as her fingers tightened in return.

Before she lost her nerve. In a low, urgent whisper, Nyu blurted out:]

But--she's a killer. She's why people I've never met look at me like I'm some--horrible thing, because I share the same face. She's why soldiers came to our house looking for me, because they thought she was there instead.

[And the last, one that almost made her voice tremble and break.]

I don't have a home any more because of her.

[She hadn't wanted to say that, any of it. Even knowing her other self was a murderer was a frightening thing, and bringing it up just reinforced the knowledge. But Nyu couldn't hold it in any longer. Chariot needed to know. She could be in danger, she could be making a mistake. Even...even if it meant not seeing her smile again, Nyu had to warn her. The desire to help rose to the front of her mind again, though it wasn't alone.

As Nyu's affection and curiosity burned bright, so too did her other emotions. This wasn't quite anger or hatred, though; more frustration, a worrying fear, sadness so new its edges hadn't been worn down, even a bit of hysterics.]

[beariot]

[ ... Oof.

Operating on her assumption that this Nyu, this girl before her, was still Kaede just... part of her that had been dormant, just made all of those remarks cut that much deeper. It was one thing for some stranger to say all those things about Kaede, things she had suspected based on the flashes of the Bond but never had dared to ask about, but to hear them from Nyu...

That frenzied frustration and worry felt so familiar to her. Like a shadow of a ghost that had hung over her for ages, well before she'd even met Kaede, but it felt so much more pronounced here, like she should feel ashamed of her own guilt, which she knew wasn't productive and she struggled to let those thoughts go for the moment and focus on Nyu... ]

Nyu, do you... feel like Kaede doesn't deserve to be loved?

[long_live_the_queen]

...I don't--no. [A shiver passed through the Chimera's hand.] She's--a monster. I don't...I don't want anything to do with her, at all.

[There had been a brief moment, as her dying consciousness fractured, where it seemed like they were existing side by side--less at peace, and more driven by something greater than themselves, with no time left for horror. They--she, wanted her friends to be safe. That was Nyu's dying wish.

Death made things strange. Nyu was alive now--inexplicably, impossibly alive. The stress of dying no longer made the impossible seem real.


...but there was a little seed of doubt planted in Nyu's mind, now. Kaede was a force of violence, terrible and unsubtle as a hurricane bulldozing through a city. Something to be feared, as a strike of lightning was to be feared. Not reasoned with. It flashed bright and dreadful and was gone again, leaving others to pick up the pieces of its destruction.

Deception...didn't seem like something Kaede did. Not on this level. She wouldn't just trick someone into loving her.

Right?]

...but you do anyway, don't you?

[Kouta, she almost said, the name flicking over her thoughts and nearly making it out as a spoken word. He knew what Kaede was. He loved her anyway.

Once did.

Nyu's voice wasn't accusing, it wasn't even loud. Just quiet, like the rest of her had become.]

[beariot]

[ It hurt, to feel that storm of agony and confusion within the other, and her grip tightened, trying to keep Nyu anchored, steady with Chariot's affection and care, unfaltering and unconditional. Nyu hadn't needed to ask her, she could no doubt tell through the bond. Even having a confirmation that Kaede had done... terrible things in her past, it did not actually temper her love at all.

Without thinking, she drew Nyu into a hug, a warm embrace, Alcor briefly fluttering and taking up to the air before settling back down on Chariot's opposite shoulder. While there, Chariot whispered, tears in her voice. ]

Of course I do... I... I do and I always will. I love every part of her, the good and the bad, and will never turn her away...

[long_live_the_queen]

[Nyu hadn't learned to fear touch, or to be wary of closeness. She accepted the embrace, warm and safe, the same way she accepted Chariot's love--with open arms, without hesitation. Her body leaned against Chariot's with surprising, almost practiced ease, and her overlong arms folded around the other woman's back, curling gently against the fabric. The Chimera's eyes blinked shut when the bird lifted off, drifting open again once the wind from its wings had passed. She looked up at Chariot, but hardly needed to; she could feel that sadness as much as hear it, like a spike driven into her chest.

But Nyu was afraid of was the person who she was trapped in this mind with, and that fear wasn't so easily undone.]

Even if she hurts you?

[beariot]

Even if she hurts me.

[ Said without hesitation, with full faith in the fact that Kaede would never intentionally harm her, anyways, but if she ever did, that her love would not lessen at all. She was even a little surprised at her own confidence in that, but... she supposed that's how strong her conviction was. If she couldn't have it in herself, she could at least have it in her love and faith towards those she cared about most. ]

I'll be with her for as long as this life allows me...

[long_live_the_queen]

[Ah. The Chimera fell silent in the face of such conviction, ears flat and her gaze distant and sad. She wasn't getting anywhere this way.

She'd only met this person a little while ago, but she was already attached to her. Whatever it was that seemed to be tying their minds together was only part of it. Nyu always formed connections quickly, like a child whose giving nature overflowed with nothing to temper it. This time was no different.]

I-I still think you're...you're making a mistake.

[beariot]

Whether or I am or not... [ Chariot sighed, pulling back slightly so she could press her forehead to Nyu's, her thoughts clear and tempered. ]

My conviction isn't going to falter here. I love Kaede... every part of her. [ Including Nyu. She didn't even question it. ]