Arden Recap

Conner appears in the guarded cortyard with a rainbow flash as Brita sends him to Amber with Julian's trump of the castle. He nods grimly to the guards and walks out into the castle. Those that pass him and know him are surprised to see his usual grin absent. He stops the first page he sees and inquires where to find the King.

The King is quickly located in a well-lit writing chamber. He closes a book and rises when Conner enters.

"Hello, Conner," he looks Conner over. "Trouble with the Navy?"

"I wish, Uncle." Conner replies with a ghost of his grin. "Trouble in Heather Vale. "Daeon returned on Morgenstern wounded and Brita called me in to tend him. Then Daeon's mother showed up." Conner sinks into a chair. "That would be where all Tarterus broke loose."

"I should've guessed he had a mother. Tell me more about this Tarterus. You're sitting down, so you don't need armed assistance, I gather."

"Not at the moment." Conner replies. "The Rangers, Morganstern and Brita decided to try and keep Daeon from his mother, whose name is Artemis. She turned into a giant bear which sent most of the Rangers into an awe stricken paralysis. Brita attempted to stop the bear's rush for Daeon and got bear hugges and tossed for her trouble. Somewhere in here Heather Vale started to come alive. Grasses and brush would spring up vine-like to entangle and ensnare you. One Ranger let go of his spear because it was flowering and had taken root. The last nail in the coffin was the sound of women screaming themselves hoarse, which Ranger Vista identified as the Maenads, the Women of the Frenzy, and ordered an immediate retreat, as any men present when they finally arrived would be ripped to shreds. We took all we could free and ran for our lives. Only one Ranger was lost. The area of the confrontation was now covered in mist. Vista warned us that the mist was likely to spread and we evacuated Heather Vale to another clearing within Arden." Conner looks up. "The area where Artemis resides is now her domain with her rules. I felt like I was Shadow shifting while standing still as she brought her power to bear." Conner snorts at the unintentional pun. "We tried to contact Julian by Trump but got no response."

"Julian likes to go places where he's hard to reach. There's more to Arden then forests. If Daeon's stirred something up, we'll need Julian or Corwin to fix it. Alright. Tell your sister to make sure all the other posts are alright and to pull her people out of any she feels are at risk. I'd like to see her and Vista after they have things stabilized. I want their long term recommendations.

"Are there any trumps of him?"

"Not that I know of." Conner replies. "I'll relay your instructions and make sure they get in touch soon."

"You said we lost a ranger? Who?"

"One of the new recruits, Spar." Conner replies.

Random nods, once. "His family is to be treated as if he had died with our army." He sighs. "Let's hope we have no more such exciting visitations from shadow for a while. I've had my fill of news."

"I wouldn't mind a little boredom myself." Conner nods. "I'll see to his family."

"Good man."

On the night after the Artemis Incursion into Arden, Brennan sends a note to each of his fellow Knights Commander who are actually in Amber, inviting them to another meeting/conference/chat/brainstorming session. He also references the Daeon escapade with a promise to give his limited view of the events, if any are interested.

Aisling will of course be delighted to show, but Madeline wants a bit of clarification-- I thought the Secondly Knightly Meeting, proposed at the First Knightly Meeting, was to take place after the Knightly Pattern-Viewing Party, on the 5th, one day before the Rise and Fall of Adonis. The agenda of the Second Knightly Meeting, I'd thought, was discussion of the ceremony and of possible candidates, and perhaps more about symbolism.

I'm just wondering if that went off. :) If you three would rather have it that no second meeting was proposed at the first, or that it was fortuitously proposed for this (the 6th, yes? Daeon-day?) evening, I'm easy.

[Tara]
It matters not to me. The pattern expedition did take a long time, possibly longer then we had anticipated? If that was the case the second meeting could have been postponed. Or we simply could have left a lot of unfinished business. Either way, I think the Daeon situation is a valid reason in itself to gather.

[Aisling]
What, you wouldn't come for just the pleasure of our company? ;)

[Brennan]
[I was thinking Second Knightly Meeting that we played out. I'm flexible. But it's a Knightly meeting, anyway, and we might as well jaw about membership, too. Trying to kill two birds.]

[Aisling]
Hm, I like that fine. There was a meeting after the Pattern-viewing; we didn't play it out. There was talk of ceremony, symbolism, and individual candidates. Aisling would've suggested arranging costume options for Jovian and Adonis.

Also, I've been thinking that Aisling would probably attend the second knightly meeting, and all subsequent meetings (such as this one), as a male. If someone wants to give reason why this should not be so, or play it out, go for it...

Otherwise, I imagine she's looking kind of Lilly-like; that is, vaguely Korean. 5'10" male of normal build, face definitely reminiscent of her usual face (like a brother) but any faint resemblance to Benedict heightened by gender, hair still lavender and blond (since I don't think she has reason to know that all people of Asian features have dark hair).

Brennan's only reaction is a rather Jack O'Niell expression, unreadable beyond the surface of, "I don't know and I don't want to know."

When (if?) anyone meets him at the designated time and place, they find a Brennan pacing, not in his usual restless energy fashion, but more like a caged beast. He's not yet at the stage of chewing sand and passing glass, but he looks like he might be working himself up to it, over the long run.

"Sir Brennan, you seem much distressed," Aisling remarks, in a way that is a question, but a question un-blatant enough that it could be ignored without rudeness if the questionee did not want to talk about it.

Silently Lilly glides into the room. She did not wish to interrupt. Brennan did seem troubled and there was no point in asking the same question a second time.

That makes it the Sixth Night? I don't have Marius' schedule handy, but I don't recall anything interfering with his showing up at the meeting...say right about then.

He seems to be running "late," for he hurries into the room but doesn't want to interrupt the conversation too much, so he merely finds a chair.

Actue listeners might hear Brennan's molars grinding together.

"He was back. Through Arden and in Heather Vale borne by Morgenstern himself. He might even still be there-- for whatever is left of the Vale. You'd heard?"

"You refer to... Sir Adonis?" Aisling guesses, apparently not having heard, but definitely interested in having this regrettable deafness rendered temporary.

"I refer to Sir Adonis. He was back. I wasn't there for much of it, but I imagine Conner, Brita, or both are briefing His Majesty about it right now, and I'm surprised the rumors and half accounts of it haven't preceded me.

"He was borne to us on Morganstern's back, with no Julian in sight as I understand it. Not to mention, severely wounded. More severely than the last time we saw him."

"And the army? How do they fare?" Aisling asks frowning, getting to the important bits of Brennan's implications.

"Well enough for the moment, or you know I'd still be there. They've been successfully evacuated." He lets that one sink in. "A force which I understand to be Daeon's mother, one Artemis by name, came to reclaim him. She appears to have claimed much of the Vale along with him."

Brennan is still amazingly annoyed by this, perhaps out of proportion to the actual event. He practically spits the word "reclaim."

Marius nods at this, glad that The navy people had already been moved back to the city for the most part. [Marius was, according to the GMs, not involved in the evacuation of Heather Vale...]

"Claimed the Vale? How so cousin?" There is something more on Lilly's mind but for now she leaves it unvoiced. First things first after all.

"Don't go into the Vale. It's a very dangerous place, right now," says one ground-pounding veteran of the Patternfall War to the others. "She brought allies with her. She also appears to have brought a different set of physical laws with her. By the time I got there, Brita and Conner were already retreating with the Rangers, and none of us thought we would be able to go back in, get him, and bring him back out.

"Dammit."

Aisling, with a frown of sorting out the key points in a messy tale, takes his turn, "What was it about these allies and physical laws that drove the Rangers and the army of Amber into retreat?"

[Marius] "Choosing our fights, I hope," he says, not as answer, but more as a question. "Despite our victory against ourselves, everything anyone has said about the journey back from your homeland," nothing accusatory, mind you, just very aware, "is what we noted when we were there: it's not healthy for humans." And yes, while he doesn't consider Aisling human, that could also be a compliment.

Aisling's brows draw together, but it's not at his inhuman implication; that he waves off with the slightest motion of his hand.

He speaks very slowly, as if asking Brennan that he's got it right. "Could it have been Daeon's unconscious wish, or do we expect that his family holds a power much like our Pattern?"

Brennan takes them in the order spoken-- first Aisling's and then Marius' statements.

"Locally overwhelming force and hazardous conditions forced the retreat," he says, lapsing into a more professional military parlance for a moment. "Artemis herself was able to knock Brita and Conner around pretty badly, especially from the looks of Brita. Then the grass started attacking things, and I don't doubt the rest of the encroaching forest would have done the same. And then the Maenids started howling in the background. Sticking around didn't seem like the best of ideas."

[Query for the GMs-- Killer Crabgrass was a symptom of the Black Road, too, in the books. Does that hold true for PCs who expored the Black Road? Ie, should the PCs be getting the creepy vibes about that?]

PCs who spent time on the Black Road do not perceive the Artemis Effect as unnatural in the same way. It's almost the other way: too natural.

Then to Marius, "I don't think this was on a par with our abilities. Artemis is a Goddess, after all, but still a Shadow Goddess. I think an adept could have blocked or reversed the process, and I'd be mildly surprised if Conner didn't try. But she brought reinforcements to spoil the attempt.

"As for subconscious desire.... I don't know. For the moment, I'm taking this as a piece of evidence that Daeon, bless his pointy little horns, has managed to open up a new Shadow Road by bleeding those damned FireLillies into existence. Something to mention to Caine, probably, the next time he asks about opening up new sea lanes."

He had been simmering down, but a note of bitterness comes back into his voice. "I wonder if either of them bothered to ask Daeon where he wanted to be."

"That is a good point. My question is this; Do the fire lilies still exist in Arden or have they been destroyed by this new growth?" Lilly asks. To her it was an interesting question. After all they could not seem to rid themselves of the flowers. It would be a good indicator of Artemis' power.

Aisling asks, "What makes you think that Daeon's mother could be tied to Chaos?" Behind his polite expression his eyes gleam with desire to know this.

"I do not believe she is tied to chaos any more then any other shadow being at this point. I ask simply because none of us seem to have an answer to those flowers or the ability to rid Arden of them. I had thought perhaps they were born of different magics. Magics that perhaps we do not understand. Different however does not necessarily imply chaos however." Lilly's tone remains conversational. She is grateful for any input. Having her thoughts challenged made her think deeper and often brought about better answers.

Aisling nods thoughtfully, and leans back behind what would be steepled fingers, but is actually the fingers of his hand wrapped loosely around his bandaged stump.

Marius seems to think about his question for a while, but then asks it.

"I hate to sound..." he seems to be searching for a word, "Impious, I suppose, but do we know exactly what does it mean to be a goddess in this situation? I saw our strange Cousin capable of a multitude of things, but none that I would be so certain I could not learn if that had been my particular bent." He seems amused at that last word. "If Arden is so ...mutable that those of the Blood are at risk, what protections has Amber itself?"

He looks at Lilly and seems to want to say something, but then he looks away towards Brennan again.

[Brennan]
"Right now, my guess is, very damned little. Which makes Fiona's project all the more important. And it would be very nice if word of the incident didn't spread beyond Amber, even though that's probably impossible. At the very least, if we ever get outsiders and the problem hasn't gone away, they shouldn't be able to see it for themselves."

Lilly is nodding along thoughtfully. She fully agreed with Brennan. Amber was not a safe haven. But the fewer people that knew that, the better.

[Brennan]
"Anyone with enough knowledge of metaphysics can probably put two and two together, and come up with weakness. And they can put another two together with it," he refers to the FireLillies, now, and the hypothetical new path through Shadow, "and come up with an attack route."

He looks over at Lilly, "And yes, they're still there. Someone tell me I'm waxing paranoid over this."

"I wish I could. Unfortunately I do not believe you are. Without a pattern here in the city we are at great risk. The foundation of our stability is gone. We need to be prepared. And we need to get rid of those damn flowers. Or we need to find a way to use them to our advantage." Lilly's voice slips off as she begins to turn that latter idea over in her mind.

"Well, soon we won't need to carry lanterns on evening hunting trips..." Aisling says, thoughtfully deadpan, but betrayed by a twinkle in his eye. "Practically, at the moment I wonder if the worst danger the fire lillies pose is that of destroying the rest of our lumber supply for shipbuilding. I do not see how Daeon's living blood could open an invasion route to Amber; as I understand these things, the creatures he gifted it to now have a hold over him, and perhaps the rest of you through shared blood. Of course," he says with a shrug, "It has been my opinion that the staunchest foundation of Amber is her royal family. Still... My understanding of these things is far from honed. Are any of you sorcerers?" Aisling scans their faces, especially Brennan's.

"My skills are with the sword." In many ways it is a statement of the obvious. But that was Lilly. She was very often exactly what everyone expected her to be almost to the point of stereotype. This did not seem to bother her however.

Brennan shakes his head. "I'm not talking about sorcery, I don't think. My thoughts here are much more prosaic-- Lilly shed Daeon's blood in a place close to Chaos, and the creatures they met there did something. FireLillies sprout where his blood has been shed, both there and here. Daeon went on an ill-advised romp through Shadow near Arden, bleeding all the way and therefore sprouting FireLillies in his wake through Shadow," he emphasizes the last two words.

"It's a very visual cross-shadow referrent, not unlike leading a thousand men or more on a march through Shadow." One gets the impression Brennan might have done just that, a time or two. In a darker tone, he adds, "There is precedent. Martin's blood on the Pattern opened up a similar, but greater path through Shadow. The flowers are probably magical...."

He hears what he just said-- flowers sprouting from someone's blood might be magical-- obviously, the world is a strange place, today-- but shrugs and bears the absurdity, continuing:

"...But if there's even a path through Shadow because of this, I was thinking it was more due to the visual referrent, connecting anywhere Daeon walked. Anyone experience the Black Road personally?"

First time this evening Aisling's actually looked surprised. "Martin's blood?" he asks; it slips out of him unaware.

Brennan clearly wishes he could un-say that, but there's no good way to do so. He's looking a thousand yards through Aisling in a memory of his own when he nods, once.

"I wouldn't bring it up," he says, when he finds his voice. "Even we don't talk about it, he and I." No sane person could interpret that any other way than to note that Brennan would be extraordinarily upset on a host of different levels if it got out anywhere, to anyone.

Martin's story should be his own to tell.

Aisling looks at him, not moving a muscle throughout this as he fights down his raging thirst to know more. Then he inhales, exhales, and having conquered himself, and continues on quietly, "The flowers... It seems less likely to me that they would provide a cross-shadow connection to bring armies along, due to their form. I would guess that they are merely a way to store his living blood... I am not sure what his religion is like, but there is-- was-- one in Amber city with similar names, in several of the tales of which people were turned into flowers. These flowers seem fair symbols of Adonis, to me; beautiful, hotheaded, and dangerous." Aisling shrugs.

"This interpretation suggests that only Adonis is in danger... That perhaps the flowers are bleeding away his essence, spreading it wherever he walks. But I'm not at all sure if it's correct. I wish we had a sorceror," he says, grimacing as if those are words he never expected to utter. "Organizing symbols is what they're trained for. I wish I could get in touch with my father."

He shrugs. "Maybe Bleys or Fiona?"

Marius shrugs. "Supposing Adonis," he pauses on the name...

Aisling's expression is a mild version of "caught!" He apparently hadn't realized he'd switched the names.

...then continues, "should happen to die..." He glances at Lilly. "Do we suppose that would be a greater conflagration or a solution?"

"I wonder if these flowers are not bleeding away his essence, crystallizing it into a form he cannot access." Aisling interjects softly, shrugging to indicate lack of surety.

"A valid theory." Lilly says to Aisling. She then falls silent before answering Marius. There was no denying that she had been wondering whether or not Daeon's death would be a good thing herself. But it was not a theory she was willing to put to the test.

[Marius] looks towards Aisling, but not "at." "While knowledge of such things may be of use, would it not be impressive if the combined ability of the Knights could be used to solve this? It has, in one way or another, been dropped in our collective laps, and we are," another shrug at Lilly, "perhaps holding the greatest pieces of wisdom in its concern."

Otherwise, he stays _very quiet._

Brennan notices, but he's still got the emotional suit of armor on behind the emotional tower wall.

Aisling looks kind of surprised for a moment at the mention of Knightly solutions. Then he looks for a moment favorable to the idea, then falls into giving it deep consideration, eyes kind of upwards, finger slowly tapping his lips like a "hush" sign, though clearly he's not doing it with that intent, and is in fact listening for Lilly.

Lilly nods. "I agree. It would be good to solve this. How could it not be? If we wish the Order to work for the good of Amber there is no better time to begin.

"The question then becomes how do we begin? Do we sit here in this room discussing theories? Or is there something more concrete that could be done? Do we involve one with sorceress abilities? Or do we keep things to ourselves? What exactly is being proposed?"

[Brennan]
"I propose that if anyone proposes anything rash, they should talk to Brita and Conner before actually doing it."

Marius' mouth twitches, hiding a guileless smile.

[Brennan]
"It was profoundly unpleasant there, and I am given to believe that Julian would think twice before planning the frontal assault.

"If it's in my power, I want to give Daeon a choice where to be, but his mother is unlikely to hurt him in the short term. And barring a trip to the Vale with a lawn mower, not much can be done with the FireLillies right now except watch them. If the Vale settles down, perhaps an excursion along their path can prove whether they penetrate Shadow or not."

Marius shakes his head. "There are many things about them that I do not know. Does the Vale contain them? Do they respond to water? To other fire?" He glances for a moment into memory. "Most of all, do I have time to investigate, or who has been leading such an investigation?" he grins. "I think there's a lot that can still be said... or at least agreed that we need to find out. A list, perhaps? And if Daeon's," the name is easier on him, "mother protects them, perhaps she knows Things, too."

"As far as I know water does not hurt them and yes they are present in the Vale. I have asked a few questions about them but I would not call it an all out investigation. I am unsure who has looked into these things." Lilly offers.

"Hm," Aisling nods. "It might be a good idea to get Daeon's..." he pauses for an informative aside to Marius, "His father calls him Daeon, but he calls himself Adonis."

"That is partially correct. I believe he changes his personality and that each personality has a name of it's own. Adonis is the incarnation that returned here with us. Daeon could be thought of as a term for all of the collective personalities." Which is why Lilly has taken to referring to him as Daeon. It was just easier.

[Aisling]
"Anyway, to get Daeon's mother's opinion on whether the flowers are a threat to him. We'd certainly want to know more about that situation before walking into her court, though. I hope she doesn't intend him any harm, since I don't know about our chances for wresting her son from her home unwilling...

"I'd also be happy to know more about the Chaos end of things. Did Lilly tell you [pl] about how the fire lillies were born? Daeon gave a group of Chaos rock-things his blood in exchange for passage for the army, and as it hit the ground it turned into these flowers. It's possible we could bargain with the things, or whatever made them... Or," he says, looking around, "make war against them to win it back; that seems to be an area of our combined Knightly strength. Still, if someone heads out into Shadow to see about a flower trail, they should end it with a diplomatic mission to the things."

[Aisling] frowns. "Without Daeon around, it's harder to see whether he'll be affected by experiments to determine how to control the flowers."

Lilly nods. That last part was definitely true. "I am not conviced contacting these rock creatures would be wise. I am not sure of their strengths or weaknesses. I do know that they said they would take good care of Daeon's blood. However I am uncertain if that is a good thing. I wish I could access the vale personally."

There is a moment of thought before she continues. "Perhaps Paige might have insight. She spent time alone with Daeon and from I have seen she is very perceptive. I know she has also witnessed the effects of the flowers."

"I am thus volunteering for the duty," Marius says. "Although there may be places I suspect where I may need assistance. Let me summarize if possible."

He holds out his hand. "One, we believe there to be a connection between these flowers and Daeon." He graciously tilts his head towards Aisling and Lilly for the explanation on the name. "Our sources of information on Daeon include our Cousin himself, and his mother, both of whom may be on guard for any approach. His father, however, I will certainly question for what knowledge I may be able to obtain. We must talk with Brita, Paige, and Conner for their perspective on the event which leaves Brennan seething." He smiles widely at his Cousin. "That I can also certainly do, and gather the information for dissemination at another scheduled Knightly meeting."

"Depending on our duties as follow the coronation, one of us must go into Shadow and see if the fire lillies create some sort of trail. We think there may be a Chaosian influence," he glances at Aisling. "There may be other creatures attached to their making, and we do not know where our diplomacy stands in comparison."

He takes a breath. "We also need measurements on the specifics. Their rate of growth, their vulnerabilities, their containment, their potential danger, and if they will make a lovely bouquet and become all the rage." He rolls his eyes amusedly at the last. "Is there anything else that I am missing?"

Aisling's look over the course of Marius's summation has been one of pleasant surprise. "That sounds like an excellent start," he says, "and I shall be most interested to hear your findings." He nods to Brennan, "Thank you for filling us all in on this."

"Well then... Is there any other topics that need to be discussed this evening?" Lilly asks. Evidently she was satisfied with the direction the fire lily discussion had taken and was now ready to move onto other things.

"Well, there's the matter of finding something wet, after so much talking..." Aisling grins such that he's nearly winking. "And tell me, how are things going on your [pl] ends of the return?"

After the Knight meeting on the Firelillies comes to a close, Marius will attempt to gesture Aisling aside for a moment, as if wishing Aisling's consultation.

Aisling will be pleased to step aside with him, awaiting his pleasure with interest.

In one of his more blunt moods, apparently, Marius looks directly at Aisling. "I didn't mean to be rude," he says. "I wonder if there isn't something of Chaos in the blood of Gods, but I didn't mean to point you out as...different." He looks at Aisling. "That thing you said... about gender being something you can slip on, like clothing, almost," he shrugs. "Do you plan on going as a woman to the Masquerade?" he asks, in a hurry.

While he regains his balance in regard to the last question, Aisling speaks to Marius's first statements. "I took no offense," he says graciously. "And you are not at all wrong. King Oberon told me that he was once a Lord of Chaos." Then he kinda realizes that, off balance, he didn't get the meaning of that bit, and amends, "And most of the religions I have studied reflect that."

"I am not a learned man when it comes to faith, but I can only say that my men say they fought demons, and `demon' implies a matter of some religious significance, I think." [Marius] shrugs. "I know that men may wear many shapes, and still be good men. That is enough for me."

Solemnly, [Aisling] gets to the end bit, "I intend to present myself as female on almost all occasions. The Masquerade will be one of those..."

"Am I too late to ask to escort you?" he asks. "I must admit, it would be a matter of convenience, but also... I think for our mutual protection."

Aisling hesitates for several moments. "I am honored, and I can certainly see how it would help me... But I'm having trouble seeing how escorting me would benefit you." He looks worried.

Marius smiles, but it is a grim smile. "I think for similar reasons, if I am following your chain of thought correctly." He pauses. "Before I say more, I must ask that you understand there is no attachment or committment intended. In case things are different where you come from, I would not wish to lead you on... but I believe having a visible escort will provide us with excuse should a situation become too..." he gestures as if trying to find a word. "Intimate."

Aisling seems slightly more free in his movements following Marius's clarification, but he's still frowning. "I was thinking more politically."

"A habit I have tried to get out of," Marius off-handedly remarks. "But one that embraces me like a mother to her son." If his smile is tinged with bitterness, it's pure cyanide.

Aisling masks discomfort at this well.

[Aisling] inhales, arms crossed and a loose fist resting on his chin. "I am not well-liked in Amber. I am the representative of a great deal of ignominy and suffering, and," he opens his hand and indicates his form with a head tilt, "I am doing a poor job of hiding that. It may be a hundred years or more before there is little stigma attached to associating with me. I would be very much surprised if there is anyone who wishes to press intimacy on the demon.

"Every royal show of faith aids me, but in your case I suspect it would also make people wonder about your sanity." He shrugs and smiles wryly.

"Let them wonder," he says flatly. "If they wonder, then they have begun to think, and if they think, perhaps they are truly worth saving." He pauses.

"It is not a question of who is worth saving-- it is a question of who is worth saving to you," Aisling remarks academically, like an economist of emotions.

Marius laughs, suddenly and abruptly. "Ah, but worth is a measure of mood as much as it is virtue!"

Aisling nods, thinking, ~Precisely!~

[Marius]
"Should I let them all hang because my concerns are introspective?" He seems for it to be a rhetorical question, of course, assuming Chaosians familiar with rhetoric... [grin]

[Aisling]
Yup. She lets the question go unanswered.

[Marius]
"I sound, perhaps, more cold-hearted than I am. I must confess that there is little altruism involved. I have a favour I may be in your debt for in the future, as well." He takes a deep breath.

Aisling looks at him with curiousity.

He does not satisfy it at this time.

[Marius]
"Still, I think, and I am still worth saving, to myself if none other. Let us make it a date, then, and perhaps we will find salvation as comrades-in-arms if nothing more."

Aisling nods. "Do you, then, call on me some time before we are due to appear at the ball."

[Marius]
"Let it be a beginning. The only way you can earn trust is to be shown the opportunity. I have more than an opportunity: I have a need. If that is not enough, refuse me and feel no burden for I will not think less of you."

Aisling bows. "As I said, I should be honored and delighted," he says with a slight smile.

"I shall make the opportunity. For costuming, I have had in mind the playful water spirit of the otter. It allows me a mercurial turn or two, and its colour shall suit me. Had you a thematic constraint?"

"I will be attending dressed as a moth. It seemed appropriate, given my form," and here he almost glances back, momentarily peeved at the lack of streamers to wave, "and the hour of the ball."

"I look forward to seeing it," and that is about that.

[Aisling]
"Have you considered Lilly? I fear she may truly need protection from intrigues and entanglements."

[Marius] laughs, a cold, harsh laugh. "She needs a sheathe, not an escort."

Aisling looks over Marius's shoulder, into some distance beyond the wall of the room. "I do not feel that to be the case. I've known people who could gut her as easily as a puppy. Flattery; attention... I am not sure that she even knows to defend the approaches." He shrugs, uncomfortable.

"Are we then our Cousin's keeper?" the phrasing seems to amuse him, perhaps related to some foreign saying. "My sword is good against physical harm. I know nothing but experience to be able to parry blows to the heart. Have those of Chaos perhaps learned another way? I would be your disciple and gather such wisdom gladly!" He's only slightly teasing her.

"Why, in Chaos we practice the most traditional of arts, that of keeping one's heart in a secret location." He delivers that with Benedictine tranquility. You can't actually tell if he's joking.

That's OK, Marius can't help but take it straight, either.

"Lilly is not to be kept, but she should not be disregarded, either. 'There is nothing so sharp that one part of it cannot be grabbed,'" [Aisling] quotes.

"I know less of her than I do of you, my co-conspirator. I do not yet know if I want to bleed for her, and I may do that even though I can see her edge. I hold in reserve such a dark fluid, as we know there are consequences in its spilling." He smiles, but that grim aspect is back to it.

Aisling's smile matches his.

[Marius]
"I shall keep it in mind, and use your warning as an opportunity to do her a good turn if it so presents. Unless you wish to buck all pretension and perhaps ask her to join us in some sort of menage a trois of intrigue?" The smile is irresistable, and with anything but a negative water score can tell he is _mostly_ joking.

And yet, somehow, Aisling resists. ;) He keeps the deadpan expression: "I'm afraid 'twould not be proper, nor benefit any of our causes." He sighs, a diverted yawn. "My apologies, Lord Marius. The hour approaches when I have arranged to meet my affine."

Marius gives a sweeping bow with a smile that looks, well, sort of like he's thinking of something fairly bloody. "I cannot, nor would not hold you back," he says. "Thank you."

Aisling bows in return. "And I thank you."

[Marius will] go off whistling. Aisling won't recognize the tune.