Logs:Rime or Reason

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Rime or Reason

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

Ahupua'a 'O Kahana State Park, Windward Coast

Plot(s)

Plot:Pixie Season


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.


Rick and Fiona have arrived together. Not //together// together, but just at the same time. This time, at least, seeing as it's been pre-planned, Rick has been able to wear something besides board shorts. So that's nice. It may just be jeans, sneakers, and a hoodie, but better than nothing. He has a thermos in his hand, though as they arrive in the spot where they are to meet, he sticks it into the front pocket of the sweatshirt so that he has his hands free. He looks around, not quite nervously, but maybe a little apprehensive.


Mila has been hiking these woods for most of her life, so luckily between the description she'd been given of the clearing and then the esoteric statements by her girlfriend she'd been able to find it. And even arrived on time! Somehow. She made her way through the bushes into the clearing with less of a stealthy method, more the break on through to the other side method. Sure, the trees didn't actually break. But with the heavy movements through them and the swaying and shaking of bushes, it might have seemed that they would.

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.


And out of the darkness a man appears, emerging into the space between two trees, the pale skin of his face and hands about the only things visible above the blackness that is his outfit. He has something rolled up and tucked under his arm, and a bag slung over one shoulder. "Good evening," says the Englishman before adding, "You know, we can't all keep meeting like this. People will talk."


Fiona's also dressed in much more than the bikini top and shorts she was wearing last time, opting for dark jeans, dark t-shirt and a gray hoodie. A small black backpack is slung over her shoulder, not very heavy looking so likely only containing a few items. "Hopefully people who know how to get there come," she says to Rick, but then out pop two more, and she smiles a little warily at them. "Hey," she says. "That's the American way, right?" she says to Mila before turning to regard Grayson as well. "Evening. I'm Fiona, by the way. I don't know if I actually introduced myself last time. It was a bit of a trip."


Isaac is more or less ready for this meeting in the forest, the young man at least dressed in outdoors clothes for this encounter. A form fitting black t-shirt covers his chest, the fabric clinging to his frame. Over that he has on a light cotton shirt, left open for today and with the sleeves rolled up. Beige combat trousers with pockets on the legs are held up by a thick utility belt, various pouches on the sides and at the back keep Isaac well equipped. Black combat boots have replaced the bunny slippers from last time, he's even laced them up for the occasion. Freshly washed hair has been slicked back out of necessity and he has even shaved, the faint trace of aftershave lingering in the air near him.

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?"


An Owl hoots. A bird calls mournfully to the night sky begging for sunlight or rain. A couple of field mice skitter across the open clearing and make the grass shiver as they go through.


"Hope so," Rick replies to Fiona, "'cause I sure don't." He lets out a little huff of a laugh, but Mila's arrival has him turning over in that direction. He smiles, and gives her a shaka sign. "Pretty much," he agrees. "And if we can't get there, we can just go drinking instead." He turns as Grayson comes into view, too, and nods at the other man with an, "Aloha." And then to Isaac as well, shaking his head. "Nope," he says, "all good, man. Ready to go."


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?"


Grayson gives Fiona a grin. "James," he replies, "Just in case you don't remember." He nods to Isaac, then, and reaches out to take the towel. "Cheers. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a black towel on this bloody island?" He nods to Rick and returns the, "Aloha," then offers Mila a faint smile. "This works by someone doing whatever it is that needs to be done to get this show on the road. Or on the clearing, whichever suits best. Personally I try to avoid summoning things after a particularly bad experience in Scotland. I tell you, it drank all my whisky and wouldn't stop whining about Tam Lin."


Fiona's dark eyes dart from each person to the next as they speak. "A particularly bad experience trumps no experience, I think, so..." she glances to Mila and then Isaac, knowing Rick's about as experienced as she is in the ways of summoning. "I'd drink all the whiskey too if someone pulled me out of whatever I was doing. Are we summoning the Hoarfrost himself or a proxy or something?" she asks, glancing between Isaac and Grayson. "And what should we do to help?"


"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?"


The owls continue, though there's some movement in the bushes as one swoops down to catch likely one of the little field mice that ran by earlier. Stealthy hunters they are, there isn't much noise from the owl for a little while after that.


Rick shifts from foot to foot as he waits for the instructions, but when they actually come, his eyes widen. "Are you serious?" he asks a little incredulously. Not about the gift part. That part, he'd brought. It's the other part. Now the shifting becomes uncomfortable, and before he does anything else, he reaches into his pocket, removing what looks like a medal, though it's hard to tell in the dark. It doesn't look like anything fancy, more like something a kid might have won. But he looks down at it with obvious reluctance to part with it, before he hands it over quickly with the air of ripping off a bandaid. Once he does that, he looks around once more, before he starts to get undressed.


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 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.


Fiona's eyes widen just a little at the mention of getting naked. She pulls of her backpack and sets it down on her feet, then reaches into one of the inner pockets of her bag and pulls out a silver chain with a tiny baby ring on it made of pure plum jade. She hands it to Isaac, before patting Rick, noting his reluctance. She starts to unzip her hoodie, but then Mila and Grayson speak up against it, and she looks relieved, nudging Rick to stop as well. She takes the flask and also a swig before passing it on.


"Okay, I may have been taking the piss." Isaac grins as he heads over to Rick, taking the offered medal and nodding to him. "It's good for morale!" Quieter now, he puts the medal in his pocket and offers up a quick "Thanks!" to Rick before moving on to Mila. Heading over to Mila, he grins once more. "It would have helped me relax, will someone please think of the Nymphs!" Raising his head in exasperation, he carefully takes the bundle from Mila. "Oh, it should be noted that I'll be doing the negotiation as I'm calling the chap. You're free to make side deals of course but just in case people have forgotten, that never ends well." He heads over to Fiona next, taking the ring and chain and putting it in another pocket. "Honestly people, there's nothing to say the ritual wouldn't have worked if we were naked." Carefully resting the bundle in one arm, he reach round to a pouch at his back and after some careful maneuvering, pulls out a rather odd looking gun with a quite large barrel, or collection of barrels in this case. Placing the gun on top of the bundle, he pats it reassuringly and lets out a sigh. "Okay, so um...circle for us and then I can call him? James, were you going to be offering up anything or will you just be blessing him with your presence?"


The night continued to do its thing, the forest obviously not really bothering to care that the group had congregated in one of its natural little pockets of solitude. It would seem the world was just going on as it did. A soft breeze moved through, causing leaves and trees to dance delicately and it brought along with it the scent of flowers in full night bloom, tuberose and all manner of oenothera.


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."


Luckily Rick has not gotten that far. He stops, shoving his hands into the pocket of his sweatshirt again with a little sigh of relief. He gives Isaac a look that may convey his lack of amusement, though there is a certain base level of discomfort that he has with this whole trip in general, so that may be part of it. After that, though, he just nods, and watches Mila mark the circle, checking to make sure he's inside it. Since he is, he doesn't move too much.


Grayson snaps his fingers when people stop disrobing, but when Isaac asks he sighs. "Alright, if I must," he says, reaching into his bag and pulling out a bottle, then extending it to Isaac. "Good bye, O tipple I can't get on this sodding island." He steps forwards into the circle when it's made, taking care not to get it on his boots. "I do hope Mother sends me some more for Christmas, otherwise I'm back to importing lava lamps and hoping Customs don't catch on." And then a nod. "Ready."


"I'm never trusting anything you say again," Fiona asides to Isaac, then watches as Mila makes the circle. "Which is why I thought Posh Spice here was going to do the talking, because I'm going to guess Jack'll figure out you're way too happy to trust after about two minutes. But we'll try it. I'm not making any bargains other than the ones we're supposed to make." She's been warned, indeed. She watches Mila make the circle, smiling a little at the eco friendly lesson at the end of it. She steps inside the circle as well, careful not to step on the pink paint, then tucks a hand through Rick's arm, maybe to make him feel a bit better, or maybe for the needed warmth. "What is it? I may be able to get you some over at the bar," she adds to Grayson. "We can get some things regular residents can't maybe."


Waiting for Mila to finish marking the circle, Isaac blows a completely adult raspberry in her direction before settling down on the ground. On a dry patch of grass he carefully sets out the gifts, removing the medal and the ring on a chain from his pockets as he does so. Grayson's bottle goes in with the rest of the items, Isaac squinting at the label briefly before setting it down neatly. Isaac then spends a few moments taking deep breaths, looking over to the others and offering them a smile. "I've never been one for public speaking." He offers by way of explanation. Hearing Fiona's comment, Isaac pouts. "No one every thinks about the nymphs." Letting out a sigh, he goes back to working on his breathing. After a few more moments have passed, he finally begins to speak. "Rime, we humbly request your presence. Rime, There is a negotiation that we wish to discuss. Rime, we have gifts laid out to welcome you." His words echo out in the stillness of the forest, Isaac doing his best to speak clearly, even with the nerves rattling his attention.


For a long moment, the world just went on. Sure, one might expect some sort of earth shattering thing to occur, the world to open up or just outright explode when a Fae is called. But... The Forest just continued to move in its lazy, summery fashion.

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?"


Loa dropped Rime.


Rick doesn't pull away from Fiona, likely because it does make him feel a little better, whether because of the warmth or otherwise. It's all well and good while Isaac is just saying the words, of course -- when Rime actually shows up, that's another matter. His eyes go even a little wider and he shivers, glancing down to the frost on the ground, then back up to the new arrival. And he does not say anything at all. After all, Isaac's doing the talking, right?


Mila had been smiling when things started, maybe because she was trying to just keep that happy face on and remain her steadfast Hawaiian self. Maybe because she needed a little more in the way of assurance in herself, and wanted to assure everyone else, that things were gonna be A-OK. The smile slipped a little, though, when the frost started taking hold. But when Rime arrived, stepping through so casually and talking of their demise, her smile fall completely from her face. Mila moved closer to Fiona, Rick, and Grayson. Her limbs were shaking as something so very much the opposite of everything in her stood there before them. In sheer reaction, her skin shifted from the decadently deep color of caramel it usually was to something mottled, orange and white, and took on the texture of coral. She didn't have spikes coming out of her yet, but the urge was pretty damn strong. With eyes that had gone a solid, ebony black, she looked away from Rime and let her gaze fix on the back of Isaac's head, not talking before he did. Just in case.


Grayson smiles to Fiona. "Thanks, but it's what one of the distilleries sells only to locals and in the factory shop. Hard to get hold of if you don't visit and you weren't born in Scotland." And then Isaac's going full teapot, and Grayson looks around at the empty forest. Then down at his watch. Then at the forest. Then tapping the toe of one of those ludicrous boots. Then looking out at the forest again. And then there's the first breath of ice, and the posturing falls away. When Rime finally arrives, Grayson greets him with a politely, deeply, respectful bow. In the face of Rime, Grayson's eyes - usually described as ice-blue - just don't match up to the real thing.


"Ah, that sort of thing," Fiona says with a nod to Grayson. She quiets when the one they've summoned arrives, the ice and cold making her shiver, despite her jacket -- it's meant for a cool night in Paradise, not actual frost. Her gaze on the ice king is much different than Mila's. Her lips part slightly as she watches him approach. There's fear there, but it's tempered by something else. Her hand tightens on Rick's arm and she finds Mila's hand, sensing the other woman's discomfort and squeezes. Seeing Grayson bow, she dips her head as well, lashes dropping to fan her cheeks a moment, but once her head comes back up, so too does her dark-eyed gaze, as if she can't *not* look at the man in pale blue.


"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."

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.


Rick catches Mila's out of the corner of his eye, too, and the change in skin color is maybe a little odd -- or it would be if these were normal circumstances. As it is, the only thing that registers about it is that she's not looking like her usual happy self, and offers her a little smile of something that is hopefully reassurance. Then he also dips his head to the man when the others do, though his eyes come up when the gifts start to be looked over. He glances to Fiona, and squeezes her hand a little bit when Rime speaks to her, but his eyes move back when it's his turn. He tenses just a little bit, though at least it's accepted. It doesn't necessarily make him feel all the way better, especially not after that look, but it's something.

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.


Mila's roughened skin likely wasn't entirely comfortable for Fiona to hold onto, but there wasn't a chance in hell that Mila would have let go of the other woman's hand for anything at the moment. She held tight, then glanced over at Rick with her black orbs for eyes and nodded her head softly. When she finally managed to pull her gaze back to Rime, her eyes were wide, but she managed to speak in a slightly roughened voice, as if the coral texture that had overtaken her skin was not just on the outside, but the inside as well. "I'm happy to hear you like it, kanaka nui." She cleared her throat a little, then if possible stiffened even more, her eyes staring in wide horror at the back of Isaac. "Isaac?" Mila decidedly made his name a question at that point, because damn if she didn't know what else to say.


Grayson falls silent, simply watching as Rime surveys the offerings. It looks as though all of them so far have been accepted... and then it's Isaac's turn. He turns an arched eyebrow on the man, then glances around at the others, then looks to Rime again.


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.


"It is a gift and something very meaningful to me." Isaac looks up and into the Fae's eyes for a moment. "It is quite safe to hide and frankly, laying it out like that is not the most subtle way for someone to try and kill a Fae Lord such as yourself." Isaac takes a deep breath to steady his nerves, his eyes flicking to the others that he can see before he turns his attention back to Rime. "I made it myself, it is chambered for iron rounds and while I doubt it would hurt one such as yourself, it would prove bothersome to lesser Fae and quite lethal to humans." Quite unable to hide his nerdiness, Isaac points to the handle. "The handle is synthetic wood and quite safe to hold, although gloves would need to be worn to chamber new rounds. It truly was not meant to offend." Taking another deep breath, he looks over to Rick and raises his eyebrows. "In all my encounters with the Fae, I have never gotten anyone killed." The comment from Mila is heard and Isaac takes another breath, the looks from Grayson are responded to in kind. Looking to Fiona, he raises his hands. "Had to be something meaningful and it is to me."


The area around Rime grew colder still as ice started sheeting from his feet, reaching out in thick, heavy waves that almost looked like water. As those waves struck the trees around the clearing they groaned and cracked, the ice weakening them everywhere it touched until they were covered completely, from roots to the very top. The gun was encased in a foot-thick layer of polished ice as it lowered back to the ground and was run over by the escaping sheer of cold leaving Rime.

"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.


Rick shakes his head a little bit at what Isaac has said, but he doesn't answer -- and after a moment, he doesn't seem like he could answer even if he wanted do. He starts to shiver, and wraps his free hand around himself, rubbing his shoulder vigorously. His eyes stray toward the trees that surround the clearing as his teeth chatter loud enough for anyone standing near to him to hear. For a second, it looks like he's teetering on the edge of some decision or other, but ultimately, he just stays rooted to the spot. Maybe he's too cold to do anything else.


Mila slipped her hand in under her blanket, almost like she was trying to warm it under her armpit. Of course... then the cold hit. And she shuddered hard, moving into lean heavily against Fiona, her mouth dropping open in shock. "Akua... ISAAC." Mila's own anger was obvious as the mottle colors of orange and white on her skin shifted a bit, growing darker. She forced herself to let go of Fiona's hand just as she began clenching her fists, because really, it's not nice to crush people's hands. Her knuckles popped and her skin made a rough, sandpapery sound as she did finally form her hands into balled fists, staring at Isaac as he was lifted some 6 feet into the air. Her eyes narrowed and she clenched her teeth to stop them from clattering together. "You're lucky you're up there, or I'd be carrying you home asleep." Sure, she might have easily been able to climb to him and throttle Isaac, heaven knew her hands were feeling the urge, but Mila instead satisfied herself by staring up at the man and jerking her blanket around herself tighter. "Later, man, we talk about what presents you bring to people. You need some God teachings!"


As she pulled the blanket tightly around her, Mila looked at the circle around them, and closed her eyes. Doing just how she was taught, she pushed her intentions into the circle. The sensation of it closing around them was definitely felt, like someone had shut those within into an envelope.


The ice around Isaac stopped moving for the moment, and the waves of cold from Rime's aura seemed to flow around the circle like it was an actual impeding force.


Grayson eyes Isaac, then Rime, then grits his teeth together to try and hold back a shiver. He isn't entirely successful. His gaze goes to Fiona, to Rick and then to Mila, and he smiles ever so faintly. "Or perhaps to consult someone who's studied this sort of thing extensively," he murmurs. "Still." And then with a grimace, he shakes his head and stays put.


Fi's hand tightens on Rick's as if she could sense his intention to run. Or possibly she's trying to will her own self to stay. She shivers, but not as strongly as the others; the cold never seemed to bother her anyway. *cough* She bites her lip and clears her throat. "Can we impeach Summer there as spokesman? I nominate James," she says wryly, to the others, before looking to Rime again, like she can't keep her gaze from his form. "I have the matching ring. Green," she says, touching something hidden beneath her dark clothing. "If I give it to you, will you forgive his transgression?" she asks, voice respectful. Awe-struck, really, in comparison to her wry tone when speaking to those in the circle.


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 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.

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.


Whether it's Fiona's squeeze on his hand, the bitter cold, or just his own resolve, Rick continues to stick to his place in the circle. He looks over at Fiona when she offers this, though, and still through chattering teeth -- slightly less now, so it's still understandable -- he murmurs, "Just watch the circle, yeah?" He lets go of her hand in anticipation of whatever move she's going to make.


Mila looked up at Isaac, then around them as the tendrils poked at the circle. "Uh... I have no idea how long this will hold up, but hopefully a long time. Still, whatever you're going to do, guys, maybe somewhat sooner is better?" She peered over at Grayson and offered him a thumbs up. "You're up, big guy." Then she looked over at Fi, well, up to Fi, as Mila was the shortest person there. "Just be careful, but if it means he can't kill Isaac for offending him, that's a good trade? Right?" She frowned. "I hope."


Grayson inclines his head to Rime. "So it would seem," he replies. "As I would prefer to try your patience no longer, I shall cut to the chase. We have invited you here to transact for the fate of Pixie, Lord Rime. We understand you have one in your care."


Rime's words make Fiona bite her lower lip, and she reaches into her collar to pull out the necklace -- identical to the other, but for the fact that the small, unbroken ring that hangs on the silver chain is pure green jade. She nods to both Mila and Rick, then brings the ring to her lips for just a moment, a wistful little goodbye. Her eyes are dark with tears when she looks up.

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.


Letting his head roll back, Isaac looks over to Rick and Mila. "No pressure...none at all." He seems to be finding this rather amusing, if nothing else, he has found his happy place. "Walking in the air, floating in the sky. Floating in the air." Isaac sings happily, his body bobbing along as he sings. "We're walking in the air, We're floating in the moonlit sky..." While not the most comfortable position for singing, Isaac is actually doing quite well, better than well really. It seems that terror was just the right motivator for the young changeling.


Rime turned his head to look at Grayson, seemingly ignoring all of the others, even the Isaac suspended 8 feet above the ground by ice tendrils. "Interesting, where, oh where, are you getting your information, you darling little... hmm." He lifted his hand, moving it front of his own eyes for a moment, then looked again. The most sure emotion that had been seen on his face so far was then shown. He looked almost pleased. Surprised a touch, as his eyes widened, but then his mouth curved into a wide, victorious smile, and Rime through his head back and laughed. "OH MY!" He laughed even harder, pressing his hands to his abdomen, the sound of ice cracking and breaking as it fell from trees, his hair, and soon enough from his fingertips emphasized every rolling intonation of mirth. "I see you three, with your delightful touch there." He pointed to his forehead.

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."


The laugh makes Rick shiver again, and he looks over at Fiona again then, just for a moment. Then he turns back to Rime, and takes a deep breath. "What would be enough?" he asks, and he has managed to get his teeth to stop chattering, though it's a near thing. "To let him go, and get what we came for?" He looks at Grayson then, a little apologetically, before his gaze shifts back to Rime. He sticks his hands deep into his pockets, and his shoulders shake a little bit again, just once, before the shiver subsides.


Mila looked at everyone, listened to them speaking, then just shook her head. "He accepted the gifts the rest of us gave, I don't think we're actually in any danger ourselves unless we do something that's considered a transgression, Fiona." She seemed to be calming down a bit, or maybe her body was just diverting all power to the dilythium crystals to keep the heat on, but her skin faded back to its usual smooth, supple texture and had gone back to its caramel tone. Her eyes, also, looked as they usually did, the warm, dark, chocolate color. "Isaac's gift displeased and he's only shown displeasure because of that. None of the rest of this was an attack, it's literally just HIS power. He's not even trying to hurt us." Mila looked over at Rime and nodded to him. "I'd be more than happy to find you another gift that would help smooth over the transgression as well, I just don't have anything you might value on me. If you'd agree, we could all come up with something to leave for you, in a place we could agree, each of us will then give you two gifts that you might enjoy to make up for the one that didn't quite bring you pleasure?"


Grayson eyes Fiona, then looks to Rime again. "You can see the marks," he says. "They'd rather like their pixie back. Excuse me a moment, please." Grayson looks towards Isaac. "And now he's Aled Bloody Jones." Rick's words have Grayson's brows pulling together, and then he's scowling at Mila. "And now I'm being volunteered to give something else up. For fuck's sake."


"So do I," says Fiona wryly, glancing up at Isaac when he starts to sing and shaking her head. She glances to Mila and to to Rick and then Grayson as they each speak. "I trust him not to hurt me, stupid as that sounds. And I think you're right. But if he'll accept this one thing... maybe we can get this done tonight, and not open ourselves up to more things," she says quietly, before speaking to Rime, eyes lifting to seek his gaze.

"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.


"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.


Rime nodded to Grayson, eyebrows slightly raised as he turned his attention back to the tall man. "Indeed, I imagine they do. But why are you here, asking for something of me? I'm still a bit unclear as to the actual bargain you're attempting to strike." He just watched as Grayson asked for a moment to hiss at his counterparts, which caused the very corner of Rime's lips to tug up into a minute grin.

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.


"No-" But Fiona has stepped over the circle already, and the cold rushes in. Maybe because he's already freezing, or maybe because he's finally managed to get a handle on his shivering, but this new cold that has entered doesn't seem to affect Rick like the other blast had. He tips his head toward Grayson then, instead, his eyes moving to the other man as well to let him continue.


Mila let out a soft sound of alarm as Fiona stepped forward. Her hand reached a moment too late and she shuddered a little, knowing all to well what it meant as the previously searching tendrils of ice fell into the circle with them. Despite that, it would seem the grip she had on her blanket was enough to keep the cold out, and she didn't start chattering away like a ticker tape. Looking up at Grayson, she offered the most apologetic expression anyone had likely seen on her face. "E kala mai ia'u, James. Truly. And you're right, it wasn't my place, but... Fiona seems to have handled it, so my offer holds nothing anymore. Still, my apologies. I'll try to find some way to make up for that later, when we're not freezing our collective hope hope's off, neh?" She turned her attention to Fiona then, concern on her face, though she didn't try to pull the other woman away from Rime. Meanwhile, Mila did reach out to Isaac in an attempt to grab his hand, and tried to tug him toward her so she could share her blanket with the poor guy after his chilly ride aloft.


Another shudder aside, Grayson blinks at Fiona, then shakes his head at her deeds. The towel Isaac brought back gets offered back to him, and Mila is nodded to, but Grayson's attention is mostly for the almighty magical entity in the clearing. "For the third time of saying, Lord Rime," Grayson says, his head turning to face the Fae again, "There is a pixie in your realm, one who is properly a servant to a Pixie Queen and who is missing from those courts. We wish to negotiate for her safe return. What was not stated before is what we offer in return. I have another bottle of what I gave you - my last, in fact - or the spilling of seed in a Pixie Queen's womb. I am not at liberty to make offers for the others, but they can add to our side of these negotiations if they wish."


Fiona's eyes widen a little when she feels the circle break as she passes, despite her cautious step. Lesson learned. She doesn't seem to flinch from the cold as it surrounds her, shivering only after Rime brings her mouth to kiss to kiss. Her cheeks flush, despite the frost that covers them, and only once he's retreated does she bring her hands up to warm her face.

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.


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 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."

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.


"Fi!" Rick calls after her, but she's already gone. This has not gone according to plan, but he clearly has no idea how to fix it. At the moment, though, leaving too seems like it would be worse than staying, and so he stays...until Rime's demeanor changes, and Isaac gets tasted. He looks from that, to Grayson, to Mila, and he starts to say something, but before he can, Rime is gone. They are left standing there in the returning warmth, and the sudden change in temperature causes him to shiver again, but at least it's moving in the right direction. He looks around at the remaining people again, wide-eyed.

"What the hell just happened?"


Mila looked somewhat disturbed as Rime went about examining the foreheads of the three men she knew to be marked. As he came upon Isaac and held his face close, she set her jaw, forcing herself not to jerk Isaac back and out of the way. The fact that Rime was definitely not in a good place as he saw whatever it was he saw had her flinching just a bit, but when the Fae was gone, she took in a deep, relieved breath. With her shoulders sagging from the stress, she lifted her eyes to look around them at the melting water and nodded thoughtfully. "At least he didn't kill all of the trees. We... might want to head out, though." Motioning to the ground where Isaac's gun was still under a thick layer of ice, she then looked at the man she was sharing a blanket with. "Do you want to wait for that to melt, or just carry the ice back? We can put it in the blanket, and it'll drip just fine on the walk down." Mila looked over at Rick and shook her head, shrugging a little. "I have no idea.. but we're only out what we already gave, so.. I think maybe we got off lucky, since he didn't just make us all into a 300 foot tall glacier before he stalked off?"


Grayson watches Rime with the air of a man who's deeply confused; when it's his turn to take a licking he stands there, only to find himself being examined instead. And then Rime is gone, and the cold with him. "I... er..." He blinks some more, then shakes his head. "...Whatever happened, I just lost out on sex, never mention the sex I lost out on coming up here. For fuck's sake. Waste of a night this was."


"Yeah thanks, was totally overheating before you did that. Cheers." Of course, Isaac not being totally stupid, he waits until Rime is out of earshot before letting the words flow forth. Looking over to Rick, Isaac shrugs his shoulders. "I'm a little lost right now, he seemed upset though?" Shaking his head to get rid of the drying ice, Isaac looks over to Mila. "I have this rather fetching towel I can carry it in. I'd hate for a kid to pick it up and shoot someone with it." Letting out a sigh, he escapes the comfort of the blanket and heads to hit gun, wrapping it up in a towel and sticking it under an arm. Glancing at Grayson, he shakes his head. "You met a god, you lived. Good evening out!"