☆ 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

[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. ]

[long_live_the_queen]

[Nyu's eyes blinked closed when their foreheads touched, and stayed that way. She let out a quiet breath through her nose, her embrace tightening just a little, afraid of her new strength.

But she wasn't afraid of Chariot. She wasn't afraid of the warmth and devotion given freely through the link they were both twined in. And knowing, in a way that ran deeper than thought, that some of that love was meant for her made Nyu feel giddy and jittery inside.

Nyu still worried, her lingering dread undeterred. But her affection was there too, and soon overtook that worry with its brilliance.]

...you're a good person, Chariot.

[beariot]

Maybe... [ She wasn't certain she could ever truly feel worthy of something even as simple as that, but she wasn't going to argue the matter, either. The point was, at least for the moment, she had made an impact on Nyu, and assured to herself that this was still Kaede, even if only part of her. Which reminded her... ]

We should keep finding things that help your memory along, shouldn't we?

[long_live_the_queen]

[Piece by piece, Nyu came back to life again. Her ears and feathers lifted, and her tail even swished once as she stood straighter.

But she didn't progress down the bridge just yet, hands still resting on Chariot's back.]

I...don't want to remember what she was. I want to make new ones. New memories.

[beariot]

We can do that, sure... [ Chariot gave the girl a gentle squeeze. ]

But I also think it's important... that you see the sort of new life she's made for herself here, too. When you're ready to, I mean.

[long_live_the_queen]

[The embrace stifled most of Nyu's uneasy shiver, but the ripples it made through the Bond weren't so easy to hide.

They passed, though. Everything did, eventually.]

Maybe...maybe later.

[Maybe never, Nyu hoped. She let go of Chariot's back while still keeping a hand in hers, managing a small smile. To put all that behind them, or at least out of sight. Being miserable so long wasn't good for her, anyway.]

What's past this bridge?

[beariot]

That's the entertainment district of the city. There's a cafe I like to sit and read at that serves lovely coffee... better than I can manage at home, anyways.

Would you like to see it?

[long_live_the_queen]

[There, all tidied up. Pay no mind to the somber thoughts hidden under the rug.

The girl made a little chirping 'nyu' without thinking about it, nodding. Even without the Bond, her affection was worn openly.]

I'd like that.