Difference between revisions of "Logs:Rime or Reason"
(Created page with "{{ Log | cast = Fiona, Grayson, Isaac, Mila, and Rick. Loa as GM. NPCs: Rime | summary = Negotiations take a little hard turn at the beginning | ga...") |
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| categories = Changeling, Jade Court, Scion, Shapeshifter, Magic User | | categories = Changeling, Jade Court, Scion, Shapeshifter, Magic User | ||
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− | + | It's pretty dark out at night, when magic is easier to use and more likely to be effective for all things that depend on the darkness or a lack of direct sunlight to keep them running. Really, it's the best time for summoning as well. Night birds make their noises in the surrounding forest, all of the trees and bushes singing right along as the warm, gentle breezes blow down from the upper elevation of the mountains. It's downright gorgeous out tonight, and the scent on the wind is that of flowers that stay open in the night to give their heady fragrance to that of the rich soil and other verdant plant life. | |
− | It's pretty dark out at night, when magic is easier to use and more likely to be effective for all things that depend on the darkness or a lack of direct sunlight to keep them running. Really, it's the best time for | ||
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− | Mila smiled to Fiona and dipped her head toward the other woman. "He le'ale'a, Fiona. Nice to have a name on the face." | + | Mila smiled to Fiona and dipped her head toward the other woman. "He le'ale'a, Fiona. Nice to have a name on the face." She looked over at Grayson and nodded to him. "James... annnd it seems we have an Isaac." Mila looked over at Isaac and grinned, raising her brows. She shrugged a little. "She said she couldn't be here for this part, but that we should have everyone we need if you three showed. I'm not sure exactly why but I'm pretty sure she didn't want to be face to face with more of the whole... big muscle crowd right now." Mila looked between everyone there and gave a wan smile. "Not that the big muscle crowd is a thrilling process for me at the moment, either, but hell. We told the matron ladies we'd support you guys, and I'll do my best. Besides, someone's got to see to the interests of the Gods of the Island. Somehow, kind of, at least." She shrugged a little, moving further into the clearing so she was closer to everyone. "So, uh, how does this work?" |
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− | "Righto, if everyone can just remove their clothes I can get started." Nodding to folks in a reassuring manner, Isaac opens up a pouch on his belt and takes out a knife. "I figured we could do a circle for us, just in case. Only to be activated if we annoy the guy we're calling here. Really good way to piss off any Fae is to summon them from within a circle, that *really* gets their goat." Unclipping another pouch, Isaac takes out a | + | "Righto, if everyone can just remove their clothes I can get started." Nodding to folks in a reassuring manner, Isaac opens up a pouch on his belt and takes out a knife. "I figured we could do a circle for us, just in case. Only to be activated if we annoy the guy we're calling here. Really good way to piss off any Fae is to summon them from within a circle, that *really* gets their goat." Unclipping another pouch, Isaac takes out a hip-flask, unscrews the top and takes a swig. "We're going to beckon him here, asking nicely. We're going to offer gifts, something important to us or something that could be important to Winter. He'll know, so no skimping!" Looking over to Fiona, Isaac nods. "Yeah, the frost guy, that's who we're after. Three of us have been marked so that we can be proxies for the Ladies. There's a little bit of negotiation and then hopefully, we don't die. Simple!" Raising up his hip-flask, he takes another swig and then offers it out. "It's good Scotch if anyone would like a slug before we begin?" |
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− | Mila gave a slight shake of her head, looking at Grayson with a grin. "I'm with Fiona on that one. If that happened, let's make sure we've got something to drink for this fellow, too?" She chuckled and turned her eyes to Isaac then, raising her brows. "I brought him a present, but unless you were hoping I'd cheat on Vee with Fiona here, I'm afraid I'm not going to be any help to anyone naked. Not at all interested in seeing what you fellows have under your clothes, either. No offense or anything, I'm sure you all look great, just isn't my kind of thing." Mila offered a kind smile to Isaac, then Grayson, and then Rick, attempting not to sound like she was a total bitch. Pulling a | + | Mila gave a slight shake of her head, looking at Grayson with a grin. "I'm with Fiona on that one. If that happened, let's make sure we've got something to drink for this fellow, too?" She chuckled and turned her eyes to Isaac then, raising her brows. "I brought him a present, but unless you were hoping I'd cheat on Vee with Fiona here, I'm afraid I'm not going to be any help to anyone naked. Not at all interested in seeing what you fellows have under your clothes, either. No offense or anything, I'm sure you all look great, just isn't my kind of thing." Mila offered a kind smile to Isaac, then Grayson, and then Rick, attempting not to sound like she was a total bitch. Pulling a Rastafarian looking braided sac from her shoulder, she opened it up, pulling out a really quite pretty, traditional Hawaiian cloth that would be used for creating a traditional skirt for men, then unwrapped it to reveal two fist sized lumps of shimmering black. "I brought him a traditional pa'u, and then this obsidian. I figured something that loves the dark would put it to good use." Moving closer to Isaac, she handed over the bundle carefully. |
− | Grayson grins at Fiona again, then beckons to Isaac for the | + | Grayson grins at Fiona again, then beckons to Isaac for the hip-flask. He downs a politely-small swig, then wipes the top and hands it back. "Cheers. I have to say, though, the idea of 'naked' while inviting something powerfully Wintry to join us doesn't sound too bright. I'm rather attached to some... delicate parts of my anatomy," he says, then glances towards Mila. "And since an orgy doesn't seem to be on the cards, I think I'm going to put more clothes /on/." With that he unrolls the bundle under his arm and starts shrugging into an ankle-length black trench-coat. |
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− | Mila let out a laugh, giving Isaac the full on crossed eyes expression. "So funny, I'd never expect that of you, Isaac." She shook her head and removed the rest of what she'd brought along in her bag. A ziploc bag filled with something that was bright pink and looked almost crumbly, but somehow wet, and a folded, tightly woven blanket. The blanket went over Mila's shoulder and she started to walk around in a circle with the | + | Mila let out a laugh, giving Isaac the full on crossed eyes expression. "So funny, I'd never expect that of you, Isaac." She shook her head and removed the rest of what she'd brought along in her bag. A ziploc bag filled with something that was bright pink and looked almost crumbly, but somehow wet, and a folded, tightly woven blanket. The blanket went over Mila's shoulder and she started to walk around in a circle with the Ziploc bag opened. Crouching down, she moved an inch or two at a time and proceeded to mark out a circle big enough to hold all of them in grease based, bright pink chalk that clung to the grass. She was thorough, leaving nothing between the tips of the blades and the dirt uncolored. "Alright. That's a nice, solid circle that should be a pain in the ass to ruin. And it won't kill the plants like paint, it's all natural." Nodding sagely, she seemed satisfied with it. "Everyone inside, it'll be good to cuddle together for warmth, anyway, and I'll share my blanket with someone if they get cold." Mila wiped the thick, gloopy pink onto her pants when she was done, leaving a smear of it behind against the black. Then she stepped into the circle that she'd put up, which was pretty much already around Fi, Rick, and Isaac anyway. Unfurling her blanket, she pulled it on over her shoulders, looking like she was preparing to step into a snow storm. Native Hawaiian, not snow-maiden. "I'll bring the circle up if anything looks dicey." She assured everyone. "It might help, a little, if he gets angry." |
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Once the icy layer of crystalline cold spread out onto the grass of the clearing, a man stepped through between two of the ice-laden trees. At least, he looked like a man. A rather attractive man, with a powerfully angled jaw and eyes that were almondine despite his pale skin. His hair was longish, reaching to the line of his jaw in a carelessly messy style and it was the color of iced wheat. While his eyes were interesting to look at with their shape and deep-set, shadowy nature, they were the color of the purest frost, silvery and shimmering. | Once the icy layer of crystalline cold spread out onto the grass of the clearing, a man stepped through between two of the ice-laden trees. At least, he looked like a man. A rather attractive man, with a powerfully angled jaw and eyes that were almondine despite his pale skin. His hair was longish, reaching to the line of his jaw in a carelessly messy style and it was the color of iced wheat. While his eyes were interesting to look at with their shape and deep-set, shadowy nature, they were the color of the purest frost, silvery and shimmering. | ||
− | Dressed in nothing but a set of pale blue trousers that fit him like they'd been designed as part of a tuxedo and a tailored, button front shirt in snow white that was open to mid-abdomen, he certainly wasn't dressed for the cold either. His bare feet, however, walked across the ice that had come into the clearing and continued to spread as he stood there. It wasn't until the ice rime touched the edge of the offerings that Rime himself looked down at them, then over at Isaac, his pale blonde brows raised. "Hmmm. To Hawaii?" He shook his head and blew out a huff of breath, the air | + | Dressed in nothing but a set of pale blue trousers that fit him like they'd been designed as part of a tuxedo and a tailored, button front shirt in snow white that was open to mid-abdomen, he certainly wasn't dressed for the cold either. His bare feet, however, walked across the ice that had come into the clearing and continued to spread as he stood there. It wasn't until the ice rime touched the edge of the offerings that Rime himself looked down at them, then over at Isaac, his pale blonde brows raised. "Hmmm. To Hawaii?" He shook his head and blew out a huff of breath, the air crystallizing and turning to a plume of white ahead of him. "In summertime, no less. I certainly hope that you've satisfied yourself to meet your makers?" His chilled gaze took in everyone else, then, studying faces, a detached sort of cool set to his lips. "Interesting. Or maybe you've come to offer yourself for entertainment?" |
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− | "Welcome Lord Rime, thank you for coming." Isaac bows deeply, trying to keep his face carefully neutral and his voice steady. "I requested your presence as I wish to negotiate with you but first, please." He motions to the pile in front of himself. "We offer gifts, each heartfelt and we hope worthy of your attention." Isaac studies the man in front of him, although he makes a point of not meeting his eyes, his usual good | + | "Welcome Lord Rime, thank you for coming." Isaac bows deeply, trying to keep his face carefully neutral and his voice steady. "I requested your presence as I wish to negotiate with you but first, please." He motions to the pile in front of himself. "We offer gifts, each heartfelt and we hope worthy of your attention." Isaac studies the man in front of him, although he makes a point of not meeting his eyes, his usual good humor seeming to evaporate at the Fae's arrival. |
Rime walked a touch closer, looking supremely lazy as his limbs simply swayed and he managed to be moving with it. He glanced down, cocking his head to the side. "Hmmm. Alright. The gifts are nice enough, certainly... what one would expect from a peasant hoping to make amends for taking the attention of something they likely should have known better than to bother." | Rime walked a touch closer, looking supremely lazy as his limbs simply swayed and he managed to be moving with it. He glanced down, cocking his head to the side. "Hmmm. Alright. The gifts are nice enough, certainly... what one would expect from a peasant hoping to make amends for taking the attention of something they likely should have known better than to bother." | ||
− | The 'man' shifted his fingers, and a long, swirling line of ice came up from the earth around the bottle of alcohol that Grayson had offered. It was turned upside down, and then the glass that was around it shattered into millions of pieces, sending glittering shrapnel flying everywhere. What was left was a bottle-shaped, hard frozen | + | The 'man' shifted his fingers, and a long, swirling line of ice came up from the earth around the bottle of alcohol that Grayson had offered. It was turned upside down, and then the glass that was around it shattered into millions of pieces, sending glittering shrapnel flying everywhere. What was left was a bottle-shaped, hard frozen Popsicle of sorts, being held by the tendril of ice. Rime leaned forward and licked at the frozen treat much as you might imagine any schoolboy doing with an ice cream, and smiled softly over at Grayson. "Ooooh, that's not bad. And it's certainly hot enough here that it requires something to lick that doesn't taste like dirt or.... flowers." Rime's face took on a slightly disgusted expression as he looked around, then sighed, another huge plume of white wafting into the air. |
Plucking up the small ring with another tendril of ice formed from the earth, Rime sniffed at it curiously, then glanced at those gathered, smiling slowly with a cruel, jagged edge to it as he spotted Fiona. "Oh I see. Quite beautiful. Parting was sweet sorrow, though you'll forget about that in good time, I'm sure, little monster." He winked to her, his eyelashes freezing together for a moment before they broke apart. Moving the ring to his hair, he tied the small circlet into one of his locks, so it hung near his ear. | Plucking up the small ring with another tendril of ice formed from the earth, Rime sniffed at it curiously, then glanced at those gathered, smiling slowly with a cruel, jagged edge to it as he spotted Fiona. "Oh I see. Quite beautiful. Parting was sweet sorrow, though you'll forget about that in good time, I'm sure, little monster." He winked to her, his eyelashes freezing together for a moment before they broke apart. Moving the ring to his hair, he tied the small circlet into one of his locks, so it hung near his ear. | ||
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The two hunks of obsidian and the traditional Hawaiian skirt were picked up next, and Rime looked them over thoughtfully. Without any sort of motion of his own, he narrowed his eyes at the two hunks, one more gray black and the other more purple black, and they simply began falling away in sheets, leftovers, as the blocks were chiseled into two, sharp, spikes. These spikes were then placed through the lobes of his ears, neat and clean, two matching earrings, and the icy frost under where the blocks had been suspended were liberally dusted in ruined obsidian after the carving. The skirt was taken, held up, stretched out, turned this way and that, before Rime nodded, then looked over at the Coral-skinned Mila. "Oh you and your hot Hawaiian blood. Always giving gifts of the island. So rarely is one willing to give the gifts to me, though, usually it's just screaming and begging. I like it, I'll wear it to Mauna Kea on my next visit." The skirt was folded back up and set behind Rime on the frost, only to start moving back the way Rime had come, like unseen soldiers were taking it home. | The two hunks of obsidian and the traditional Hawaiian skirt were picked up next, and Rime looked them over thoughtfully. Without any sort of motion of his own, he narrowed his eyes at the two hunks, one more gray black and the other more purple black, and they simply began falling away in sheets, leftovers, as the blocks were chiseled into two, sharp, spikes. These spikes were then placed through the lobes of his ears, neat and clean, two matching earrings, and the icy frost under where the blocks had been suspended were liberally dusted in ruined obsidian after the carving. The skirt was taken, held up, stretched out, turned this way and that, before Rime nodded, then looked over at the Coral-skinned Mila. "Oh you and your hot Hawaiian blood. Always giving gifts of the island. So rarely is one willing to give the gifts to me, though, usually it's just screaming and begging. I like it, I'll wear it to Mauna Kea on my next visit." The skirt was folded back up and set behind Rime on the frost, only to start moving back the way Rime had come, like unseen soldiers were taking it home. | ||
− | Finally, it came time to look at the gun. It lifted on the aid of an ice tendril, turned this way and that, while Rime examined it, then finally looked at Isaac, his eyes shifting from the chilly, shimmering color they'd been and becoming solid orbs of glacial ice. His face took on the | + | Finally, it came time to look at the gun. It lifted on the aid of an ice tendril, turned this way and that, while Rime examined it, then finally looked at Isaac, his eyes shifting from the chilly, shimmering color they'd been and becoming solid orbs of glacial ice. His face took on the countenance of frost, cold, shining in the sparse starlight, as did the rest of his body. "Something to kill me? Small nymph, small human. Have you brought Iron as a gift to a Fae?" He cocked his head to the side, the chill in the air growing that much colder. "What on earth did you intend to ask me for, with this as your offering?" Ice started dripping from the ends of Rime's hair, falling with small, shattering sounds as it fell to the frosted ground. |
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− | The words Rime speaks to Fiona are acknowledged by a long blink and another small dip of her head, ever so short so she can continue her | + | The words Rime speaks to Fiona are acknowledged by a long blink and another small dip of her head, ever so short so she can continue her wonder-struck gaze with little interruption. The Jade Courtier tenses visibly when Rime seems to anger at the gift from Isaac. She swallows hard, before speaking up, her voice soft and uncertain. "If his gift is unwelcome, I am sure we can find something else to give you, um, sir," she says quietly, glancing at the others, but she quiets again, because Isaac is the ordained spokesperson. She keeps her eyes on him, hands tightening on both Rick's and Mila's, despite the roughness of the other's. |
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− | Isaac tries to struggle against the tendrils of ice but fails, the grip far too strong for him to break. Doing his best to angle his head to proper address the Fae, he works on a mostly sincere smile. "I was going to ask about a Pixie that you have in your possession but I seem to have been ousted." He tries to shrug his shoulders but fails, the position he's in making it all but impossible. " | + | Isaac tries to struggle against the tendrils of ice but fails, the grip far too strong for him to break. Doing his best to angle his head to proper address the Fae, he works on a mostly sincere smile. "I was going to ask about a Pixie that you have in your possession but I seem to have been ousted." He tries to shrug his shoulders but fails, the position he's in making it all but impossible. "Them's the breaks!" Letting out a sigh, Isaac stops struggling against his bonds, letting his body just sag there. "I'm tagging out, over to you James!" He manages a little laugh as he says this, quite possibly inappropriate but then Isaac is in a very strange place. |
− | Rime's eyes narrowed as he stared at the circle that had popped up. His fingers moved through the air and a layer of lacy, delicate frost developed on the ground, mounding up around the edge of the magical protection. "Hmmm." The tendrils of ice inside the circle had certainly not started moving again, but | + | Rime's eyes narrowed as he stared at the circle that had popped up. His fingers moved through the air and a layer of lacy, delicate frost developed on the ground, mounding up around the edge of the magical protection. "Hmmm." The tendrils of ice inside the circle had certainly not started moving again, but outside the circle, a few tendrils were coming up, poking at it from all sides, the tips of them stopping as they came to the invisible force. |
A mirthless, dry chuckle left Rime as he looked up at Isaac and tsked softly. "Dear changeling, giving up the rights to commit the transaction. Alright, I'll play along. I suppose that makes you the successor of the will, then?" Rime fixed Grayson with a steady stare, those round orbs of ice bottomless and without any real emotion to read in his face of shimmering frost. | A mirthless, dry chuckle left Rime as he looked up at Isaac and tsked softly. "Dear changeling, giving up the rights to commit the transaction. Alright, I'll play along. I suppose that makes you the successor of the will, then?" Rime fixed Grayson with a steady stare, those round orbs of ice bottomless and without any real emotion to read in his face of shimmering frost. | ||
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Slowly, his laughter subsided, and he nodded to Grayson. "What is it you want, precisely? I'm fairly sure that you won't want to stand out here with me much longer, as you seem to be fond of your toes." He motioned to Grayson's feet with a flicker of his fingers. | Slowly, his laughter subsided, and he nodded to Grayson. "What is it you want, precisely? I'm fairly sure that you won't want to stand out here with me much longer, as you seem to be fond of your toes." He motioned to Grayson's feet with a flicker of his fingers. | ||
− | As Fiona spoke, Rime turned his attention toward her and he let out a groan, air frothing and white ahead of him. "Lovely little girl. That wasn't your offer. You specifically asked me to forgive the Changeling's transgressions in trade for the second in a pair of your rings. Now you're asking for far more. You're also asking for a trade that might | + | As Fiona spoke, Rime turned his attention toward her and he let out a groan, air frothing and white ahead of him. "Lovely little girl. That wasn't your offer. You specifically asked me to forgive the Changeling's transgressions in trade for the second in a pair of your rings. Now you're asking for far more. You're also asking for a trade that might supersede anything that this one asks, so you're officially attempting to remove his voice as the one doing the trade. Are you attempting to subvert another mouthpiece?" He eyed her, something like... appreciation there. "How very transgressive of you. But no, I would never guarantee the safety of all of you for one little ring of jade, there isn't enough emotional pain for it to do to you that it would even make it worth my while to lose out on so much else. Try again, though, if you'd like. I've got forever." |
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− | "Wait..." Isaac watches as Fiona crosses over, his gaze falling on the gun that is encased in a block of ice. He seems about to say more but then stops, his head tilting at an odd angle as if listening to something. "Isn't this my mess to sort out though? I mean, you guys can go right?" The singing over, he seems in less of a happy mood, the cold probably isn't doing him any | + | "Wait..." Isaac watches as Fiona crosses over, his gaze falling on the gun that is encased in a block of ice. He seems about to say more but then stops, his head tilting at an odd angle as if listening to something. "Isn't this my mess to sort out though? I mean, you guys can go right?" The singing over, he seems in less of a happy mood, the cold probably isn't doing him any favors either. "Anyway, I can't be Aled Jones, he wotsits have dropped." This is said in Grayson's direction although Isaac is having trouble following things being upside down. |
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− | Rubbing at his wrists, Isaac half bows to Rime and then steps away or at least rolls. The young man trying to rub at everything that was touched by frost without causing a scene. "Long hot bath, that's all I need. Then I'll be right." Taking Mila's hand, he scoots in close enough to leech some | + | Rubbing at his wrists, Isaac half bows to Rime and then steps away or at least rolls. The young man trying to rub at everything that was touched by frost without causing a scene. "Long hot bath, that's all I need. Then I'll be right." Taking Mila's hand, he scoots in close enough to leech some body heat, pulling his knees to his chest as he tries to stop his teeth from chattering. Leaning in, he whispers. "Next time, socks or bath salts. Can't go wrong with bath salts." Reaching out, Isaac takes the offered towel with a nod of thanks to Grayson, the trendy black item being bundled around his hands as he huddles under Mila's blanket. Lifting a cloth covered hand, he waves to Fiona in what must be a dismissive motion. "Not to worry, just a flesh wound." He grins then, although there is something of a rictus quality to it. |
− | Rime licked at the delightful | + | Rime licked at the delightful Popsicle that Grayson had provided him before, looking utterly thoughtful, then he opened his mouth wide, and took a gigantic bite out of it, the ice fracturing easily, so that he had a large lump of frozen alcohol in his mouth to crunch on. Sucking and chewing, he made a loud sort of grumble of appreciation. "It's definitely good, I don't know if it's quite worth a pixie." |
As Fiona backed away, Rime's eyes moved to track her, and he shook his head, letting out another thick plume of white. "Hmm." Then he looked back at Grayson, stepping closer, peering at his forehead as if it were the only thing of interest to him. He moved in that utterly lazy gait over toward Rick, then, examining his forehead, a grin growing across his lips. "Ooooh. Delightful, that little darling." And then, Rime moved over toward Isaac, staring at his forehead as well. "Annnd the Vixen. You've all had quite the adventure, I would say." | As Fiona backed away, Rime's eyes moved to track her, and he shook his head, letting out another thick plume of white. "Hmm." Then he looked back at Grayson, stepping closer, peering at his forehead as if it were the only thing of interest to him. He moved in that utterly lazy gait over toward Rick, then, examining his forehead, a grin growing across his lips. "Ooooh. Delightful, that little darling." And then, Rime moved over toward Isaac, staring at his forehead as well. "Annnd the Vixen. You've all had quite the adventure, I would say." |
Revision as of 02:54, 26 November 2017
Rime or Reason | |
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Those marked for the task attempt to negotiate with Jack Frost | |
Dramatis Personae
Fiona, Grayson, Isaac, Mila, and Rick. Loa as GM. NPCs: Rime |
24 July, 2008 Negotiations take a little hard turn at the beginning |
Location
Hau'ula Forest Reserve, Windward Coast |
Plot(s) |
It's pretty dark out at night, when magic is easier to use and more likely to be effective for all things that depend on the darkness or a lack of direct sunlight to keep them running. Really, it's the best time for summoning as well. Night birds make their noises in the surrounding forest, all of the trees and bushes singing right along as the warm, gentle breezes blow down from the upper elevation of the mountains. It's downright gorgeous out tonight, and the scent on the wind is that of flowers that stay open in the night to give their heady fragrance to that of the rich soil and other verdant plant life.
As Mila spilled out into the clearing, she brushed a couple of leaves off her shoulder and took a deep breath. Her long hair was pulled back into a braid, keeping it out of her face so her dark brown eyes could see everything more easily. For clothing, she'd gone simple with a set of black yoga pants that fit her quite closely and a tank top that was dark blue, worn over a neon green sports bra that flashed its straps every so often because of the racer-back style of the tank top over it. Her feet were covered in a set of sturdy looking running shoes that were black, and her socks were either bright green or bright yellow, but it was hard to tell in the off-light of the evening. Grinning to Rick and Fiona as she spotted them, Mila lifted her chin and gave them both a friendly "Aloha, Howzit, guys? I was worried I'd end up the only one here, or that I was thinking of the wrong clearing. At least if we're in the wrong place, we're wrong together, neh?" Humor was good, check. Humor very good when things might possibly hit the fan, shit and otherwise.
Not the quietest woodsman out there, Isaac can be heard for quite a while before he turns up, the cracking of deadwood and the occasional swearing as a bush threatens to rip at his flesh or clothes being an obvious indicator. Stepping out into the clearing, he offers a friendly wave to everyone he sees, "Aloha guys! I almost didn't make it, had a bit of an argument with a bramble bush a ways back." Heading over to Grayson, he hands over a black towel, the item freshly laundered by the smell. "Thanks again for the loan, came in rather handy in the end." Peering over to Mila, he attempts to look over her shoulder. "No Vee? Is everything okay?" Nodding to Rick and Fiona, he grins. "Hey again guys. No trouble getting here?"
It might have been two to three minutes, which while waiting can stretch into two or three infinities. And then, there was movement. It was subtle, a shift of the trees ahead of Isaac. And then a slow, steady growth of frost began touching the bark along the trunks. The glittering, beautiful shimmer of frost continued, stretching out along the branches, along the leaves, and then icicles began forming along those same trees, capturing the nearby moisture in the air and solidifying it until the icicles reached all the way to the ground. It would seem good old Jack Frost had taken a little walk through the woods as well. Once the icy layer of crystalline cold spread out onto the grass of the clearing, a man stepped through between two of the ice-laden trees. At least, he looked like a man. A rather attractive man, with a powerfully angled jaw and eyes that were almondine despite his pale skin. His hair was longish, reaching to the line of his jaw in a carelessly messy style and it was the color of iced wheat. While his eyes were interesting to look at with their shape and deep-set, shadowy nature, they were the color of the purest frost, silvery and shimmering. Dressed in nothing but a set of pale blue trousers that fit him like they'd been designed as part of a tuxedo and a tailored, button front shirt in snow white that was open to mid-abdomen, he certainly wasn't dressed for the cold either. His bare feet, however, walked across the ice that had come into the clearing and continued to spread as he stood there. It wasn't until the ice rime touched the edge of the offerings that Rime himself looked down at them, then over at Isaac, his pale blonde brows raised. "Hmmm. To Hawaii?" He shook his head and blew out a huff of breath, the air crystallizing and turning to a plume of white ahead of him. "In summertime, no less. I certainly hope that you've satisfied yourself to meet your makers?" His chilled gaze took in everyone else, then, studying faces, a detached sort of cool set to his lips. "Interesting. Or maybe you've come to offer yourself for entertainment?"
The 'man' shifted his fingers, and a long, swirling line of ice came up from the earth around the bottle of alcohol that Grayson had offered. It was turned upside down, and then the glass that was around it shattered into millions of pieces, sending glittering shrapnel flying everywhere. What was left was a bottle-shaped, hard frozen Popsicle of sorts, being held by the tendril of ice. Rime leaned forward and licked at the frozen treat much as you might imagine any schoolboy doing with an ice cream, and smiled softly over at Grayson. "Ooooh, that's not bad. And it's certainly hot enough here that it requires something to lick that doesn't taste like dirt or.... flowers." Rime's face took on a slightly disgusted expression as he looked around, then sighed, another huge plume of white wafting into the air. Plucking up the small ring with another tendril of ice formed from the earth, Rime sniffed at it curiously, then glanced at those gathered, smiling slowly with a cruel, jagged edge to it as he spotted Fiona. "Oh I see. Quite beautiful. Parting was sweet sorrow, though you'll forget about that in good time, I'm sure, little monster." He winked to her, his eyelashes freezing together for a moment before they broke apart. Moving the ring to his hair, he tied the small circlet into one of his locks, so it hung near his ear. The medal was taken up next, and Rime licked it, his tongue slow and curious. "Mmmmm... losing so much, it's almost enough to make my heart melt." He glanced at Rick, eyeing him slowly along his face, like he was touching him at the same time. The medal was slipped into the front pocket of his shirt. The two hunks of obsidian and the traditional Hawaiian skirt were picked up next, and Rime looked them over thoughtfully. Without any sort of motion of his own, he narrowed his eyes at the two hunks, one more gray black and the other more purple black, and they simply began falling away in sheets, leftovers, as the blocks were chiseled into two, sharp, spikes. These spikes were then placed through the lobes of his ears, neat and clean, two matching earrings, and the icy frost under where the blocks had been suspended were liberally dusted in ruined obsidian after the carving. The skirt was taken, held up, stretched out, turned this way and that, before Rime nodded, then looked over at the Coral-skinned Mila. "Oh you and your hot Hawaiian blood. Always giving gifts of the island. So rarely is one willing to give the gifts to me, though, usually it's just screaming and begging. I like it, I'll wear it to Mauna Kea on my next visit." The skirt was folded back up and set behind Rime on the frost, only to start moving back the way Rime had come, like unseen soldiers were taking it home. Finally, it came time to look at the gun. It lifted on the aid of an ice tendril, turned this way and that, while Rime examined it, then finally looked at Isaac, his eyes shifting from the chilly, shimmering color they'd been and becoming solid orbs of glacial ice. His face took on the countenance of frost, cold, shining in the sparse starlight, as did the rest of his body. "Something to kill me? Small nymph, small human. Have you brought Iron as a gift to a Fae?" He cocked his head to the side, the chill in the air growing that much colder. "What on earth did you intend to ask me for, with this as your offering?" Ice started dripping from the ends of Rime's hair, falling with small, shattering sounds as it fell to the frosted ground.
Everything is going along well, it seems, until the end. Some color drains from his face when the gun is not accepted, and not only that, but seems to have offended. "What the hell, man?" he mutters half-voiced with a look over at Isaac.
"Did you just suggest that I need something as horribly underhanded as your gun to handle lesser Fae? Or even Fae of my own stature?" The relaxed, possibly even lazy tone that Rime used even as his power was beginning to lash out across the clearing made it that much worse. He sounded almost bored. "Perhaps you think of things in only your human brain. You do, after all, use chemical weapons to kill insects. Unlike your less clever race, Fae know how to deal with all manner of issues without having to resort to the most wretched of tactics." As he was speaking, 6inch thick tendrils of ice came up out of the ground around Isaac, wrapping around his arms, legs, chest, and pelvis, and lifting him up into the air. The grip wasn't pleasant, surely, but it wasn't crushing him just yet, simply holding Isaac up for examination. Rime looked Isaac over, and in a voice so lacking in interest he said "Worse still, you failed to answer my question, little changeling." While rage wasn't booming through Rime's voice, nor was it imprinted on his face, the nearly steady fall of ice dripping in sheets from his hair to the ground and the waves of the thick, oh-so-cold layer that spread from his feet might well suggest that there was indeed something quite displeased moving under the surface.
A mirthless, dry chuckle left Rime as he looked up at Isaac and tsked softly. "Dear changeling, giving up the rights to commit the transaction. Alright, I'll play along. I suppose that makes you the successor of the will, then?" Rime fixed Grayson with a steady stare, those round orbs of ice bottomless and without any real emotion to read in his face of shimmering frost. But then, Fiona spoke of a trade. Rime turned his attention to her and smiled with a disturbingly pleasant, welcoming sort of expression that flashed his diamond-like teeth. "My beautiful button of finest stone, what an offer. If you bring me this ring, offer it to me as an offering ought be made, I will stop myself from removing the Changeling's life from his body." He held out his frost covered hand toward her.
Fi isn't ready to hand it over yet, if she's figured out how to do so. "If I give it to you," she begins, "Do you agree not to harm any of us, not just the changeling?" The wording he used was tricky -- that he would stop trying to kill Isaac, but no mention of the rest of them. "In addition to whatever you negotiate with this one regarding the Pixie." This one being James.
Slowly, his laughter subsided, and he nodded to Grayson. "What is it you want, precisely? I'm fairly sure that you won't want to stand out here with me much longer, as you seem to be fond of your toes." He motioned to Grayson's feet with a flicker of his fingers. As Fiona spoke, Rime turned his attention toward her and he let out a groan, air frothing and white ahead of him. "Lovely little girl. That wasn't your offer. You specifically asked me to forgive the Changeling's transgressions in trade for the second in a pair of your rings. Now you're asking for far more. You're also asking for a trade that might supersede anything that this one asks, so you're officially attempting to remove his voice as the one doing the trade. Are you attempting to subvert another mouthpiece?" He eyed her, something like... appreciation there. "How very transgressive of you. But no, I would never guarantee the safety of all of you for one little ring of jade, there isn't enough emotional pain for it to do to you that it would even make it worth my while to lose out on so much else. Try again, though, if you'd like. I've got forever."
"I apologize," she says quietly, respectfully, and now, finally, maybe, a little fearfully. "I've been told to be careful with bargaining and I overstepped my bounds in my caution. Please accept all of our gifts, with the exception of the gun. Please accept this second ring from myself in exchange for not harming Isaac," she says. She casts an apologetic look to the others. "This is probably stupid." With that, she very carefully steps over the circle so as not to erase any of the pink from the earth, and kneels, eyes down, cupped hands up holding the necklace.
Mila and Rick speaking up had Rime's attention then, and he looked to the two of them, nodding slowly. "Getting what you came for requires telling me what you want, dear boy." Was his response to Rick, though he looked at Mila a long moment, his eyes fixated, unmoving, like he'd frozen into place to ponder. "An interesting offer, little island girl." He was mulling it over, still save for his mouth moving, when Fiona walked through the circle's power and came to kneel before him. Two things happened. First, Rime smiled fully, giving his full attention to the kneeling woman, or so it seemed. Second, the cracking sound of ice falling in and fracturing as the magical circle was broken. Cold flooded in at those who had been safely ensconced in the circle away from its effects, and made all of their breath plume to bright, white life. Rime watched Fiona in the shudder inducing cold, and then another ice tendril came to take the ring away from her, moving it up to Rime's hair on the opposite side of the first ring, tying it into the icy strands in a matching position. "I accept your trade, little stone. I will not harm your friend in response to his transgression this day." Leaning down, toward her, Rime didn't reach out to touch her with his own hand, but an icy coil came up from the earth and pressed under Fiona's chin to lift her head a bit. Once she was into a much easier kissing position, Rime bent over fully and placed his lips against hers, sealing the Fae deal with a kiss that covered her lips and chin in a delicate lace of glittering frost. "Done." He murmured, before pulling away and looking at Grayson expectantly. Notably, the tendrils that held onto Isaac began receding into the ground, lowering the man to safety. It wasn't until he was down that they stood him up, and left him completely. The marks on his arms, legs, abdomen, and pelvis that were left behind were cold as all hell and reddened.
She turns to look a little wide-eyed at the others, down to Isaac on the ground, then up to the worried faces of Mila and Rick and Grayson. She takes a step back. "I'm so sorry, I thought it was just me that was in danger if I stepped over the circle," she whispers, her expression one of embarrassment and apology all mixed into one. Her hand touches the place her necklace was. She opens her mouth to say more, but Grayson is addressing Rime, and she backs up again, before turning to run away.
As Fiona backed away, Rime's eyes moved to track her, and he shook his head, letting out another thick plume of white. "Hmm." Then he looked back at Grayson, stepping closer, peering at his forehead as if it were the only thing of interest to him. He moved in that utterly lazy gait over toward Rick, then, examining his forehead, a grin growing across his lips. "Ooooh. Delightful, that little darling." And then, Rime moved over toward Isaac, staring at his forehead as well. "Annnd the Vixen. You've all had quite the adventure, I would say." Rime moved his fingers up to dance across his own lips, then blinked. Staring at Isaac's forehead for another long moment, he reached out and grabbed the man's head, pulling him up closer, peering as if he could see through the skull. "No!" He growled the words through clenched teeth, then licked Isaac's forehead, his tongue chilly and disturbingly slick. Frost started to develop over Isaac's jaw and his forehead, down along his neck, until Rime let him go as if he were cursed. Rime looked at Rick, his eyes narrowed, then he moved back to Grayson, reaching forward to grab the other man's chin, and turned his head a little, leaning forward. "NO...." His words were a hissed, frozen breath that dusted Grayson's face with tiny, sparkling ice shards. "There is no deal to be had here. Whatever deal you made with them, it's been fulfilled." He stepped back from the group then, his lips pressed into a sharp line. "Tricky little pixies." He growled the words, then was gone, as if he'd never existed. The ice that had formed over everything immediately started to melt as the heat of Hawaii came back to reclaim itself. Water began dripping in steady torrents as trees were freed of the extra weight, and cracking could be heard as entire sheets and icicles the size of a whole human fell to the earth to shatter.
"What the hell just happened?"
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