Brennan takes the front card, which is always the Amber card, out of his deck. "If there's nothing more about Huon....? Then we're off to test some powder and then report back to the King." He takes a halfstep to the side, waiting for Signy and Marius to join him. He catches Fiona's eye, gestures to the sack he's got, so she knows where the weapon and powder are going.
[Assuming they're not called back.]
Brennan holds the card out in front of him, and gestures to Signy, giving instructions in a very low voice: "Just concentrate on the image. When the image looks real and the moment is right-- you'll know it instinctively-- reach out, take Marius' hand, and we'll all step forward. Then we'll stop, and get our bearings." He does't add, "So we're not shot by the crossbowman posted there."
The image of the castle comes to life, as if it were real.
[OOC: Play through/step through. Tomat goes with Signy.]
Signy gazes at the small card, effortlessly tuning out the other conversations that are going on in the room. As the scene comes to life her brow furrows in thought, working over how these things might possibly work as she extends a hand towards her brother. Her other hand snakes out to find Tomat's waiting, and she takes it in a firm grip.
Marius takes Signy's hand, offering a reassuring squeeze, and then reaches for Brennan to also bring him through.
Brennan's the one holding the card, so it's hardly necessary, but he doesn't refuse it. He gives the rest of the assembled crowd-- any that might be watching-- a here-goes-nothing look before vanishing in the characteristic rainbow effect.
Once Amber coalesces around them, Marius will gently let go of both hands. "Welcome to what was once the one true realm." He's saying this to Tomat as well. He looks around to make sure there isn't any outbreak of war, Green zombies, floods, or fire.
"It's seen better days," Brennan says, looking around. "This is where our parents grew up. Time for one of the Family passtimes-- the inevitable Game of Questions-- while we find some place suitable to test this stuff. You first. Maybe even you second and third, under the circumstances."
[GMs, where might be a reasonable place to test this out? I'm hoping Brennan and Marius between the two of them can think of something better than pouring some in a garbage can and dropping a lit cigarette in after it. Unless, y'know, it's Caine's garbage can.]
[A traditional location is "a fireplace"--stone hearth, fire extinguishing tools nearby, easy to explain, smoke goes out chimney, usually found in bedrooms...]
[Other than that, play through]
Signy looks around at their arrival site, taking a moment to drink in the surroundings. She refocuses on the card in Brennan's hand for a moment with a slight frown, clearly trying to puzzle out how it works.
Marius seems to expect that Signy will find the air cleaner, the blues bluer, the very vibrancy of the place somehow different. If she doesn't, he won't show his disappointment except behind a smile and a sigh.
After a heartbeat focusing on the card, she looks up at Brennan. "You said that my father would not be able to hold me against my will. How? Is that what I will get from King Random?"
"There is a ritual which will unlock the potential of Deirdre's heritage within you, making Trumps," Brennan puts his own Trump back in his deck, in the customary place, "very useful for some things, but no longer necessary for you to move between worlds. I won't claim it is strictly impossible for Weyland to block that, but I'd have to rework most of my metaphysics if he proved capable. Moreso if it proved feasible.."
Signy gives Brennan a considering look. "Maybe this potential is already unlocked. I think I know how we left my father's Tower, and with a little practice I should be able to do it as well." Her eyes narrow slightly. "And yet, my father was able to interfere somewhat, though I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't do his utmost to stop us leaving."
Brennan pauses. "It hasn't killed anyone in centuries, that I know of." There is no jest in his voice.
Signy raises her eyebrow at this, clearly inviting Brennan to continue.
"It is some of what I used when working against the Eater," Marius says, not wanting to interrupt Brennan as he hits his stride, but wanting to help put it into context for Signy.
Signy smiles wryly. "I'd not much ability to observe it, though I did notice that we seemed to be working at cross-purposes. That was a rather...chaotic situation." She pauses, as if struck by something. "What of my Sorcery? Will I have to give that up because of whatever conflict I saw during that fight?"
"My brother evidently didn't," Brennan says.
Marius nods, pleased. "I believe that is we had known more about what each of us had been trying to accomplish, it could have been far more dangerous to the Eater." He shrugs. "Of sorcery I know little, although, like most things, I have..." he grins, "ideas."
Brennan holds back a smile. "What my brother did was Sorcery. If you do what he did, my guess is that you'll be confined to going back and forth to places you've already been. Your brother and I-- and Ambrose, for that matter-- are not limited so."
Marius looks a little bit surprised at the, "And Ambrose," but not particularly so. Brennan would notice that Marius noticed it, though. (And that Marius suspected that Brennan told him for a reason.)
"The conditions necessary to prevent that are exceedingly rare. They did not obtain in your home, and in theory," [Brennan] emphasizes slightly, "cannot be replicated by your father. Once initiated, Family members are extremely hard to keep in one place against our will."
Marius nods at this encouragingly, as if to suggest to Signy that it is indeed true.
Signy nods absently, absorbing Marius' and Brennan's words. "How does this initiation happen? How long will it be before I'd be considered for this?"
Brennan answers the question with one of his own: "How old are you?"
Signy's lips purse slightly as she counts quickly. "About 100 years old. How old are others when they do this initiation?"
He then looks around at the area they've come to-- the standard point of entry on all the normal Dworkin-drawn Trumps of the City-- and gives a comparatively small frown. "Come on," he says to both of them. "No point in standing around here talking on the front steps. Besides, I'm hungry."
He takes a few steps in a direction that will ultimately lead them to a quiet outside meeting area, then looks back at Marius: "I'm going to send a page for any letters I've got. You too?"
Marius laughs, agreeably. "If my men have done as I requested, I might even have a valet to meet. Certes, let us go forth and make mischief."
Brennan nods, then leads the way, flagging down a page and sending him off to make preparations. He rather pointedly does not introduce Signy and Tomat, but there is a method to that madness-- if the page starts spreading word of a new Family member, there's more chance that they'll be disturbed and distracted, which is not what Brennan wants.
Looking back at Signy, he answers the question straight: "Historically, thirty or older. So that shouldn't be an issue. Second question?"
"So, if I wanted to find out more about my mother, who should I talk to?"
"Aside from the obvious answers of 'your brother,' and 'your father?'" Brennan says. "I'd say your best bets are her brother Corwin for the idealized version..."
Marius represses a chuckle, but only barely.
"...and her sister Flora for... the reverse, followed by the rest of her surviving brothers and sisters. I'm afraid I'm mostly useless in that regard. Only met her once."
From Signy's derisive snort, Brennan can well imagine the conversations that have already taken place between her and Weyland. She glances at Marius, but resumes her previous thread. "What is involved with the 'Initiation'? When will I be able to go through it?"
Brennan doesn't even bother to look at Tomat-- he knows he's still there taking mental notes. "You can ask the King when we take you to meet him, which will be later today unless something prevents us. The decision on when you do it is up to him, and there's no adequate preparation for it anyway. He's been known to march nephews and nieces to it within a day of meeting them.
"But since I didn't answer either question, we'll say the next one is number three." Then it's Marius' and Brennan's turns.
Marius nods. "Our cousin is not being deliberately difficult, dear sister," he smiles.
Brennan also smiles faintly, as though to say that were he being intentionally difficult, everyone present would know it.
"If it were merely a test of repeated facts and available knowledge, I, at least, would provide you with applicable answers. It is like all tests of the self: a matter of hidden, idiosyncratic truths. We have many places where we are eligible for lies. Many places where we can shade truth until it is covered in such darkness only the brightest eyes can see the difference between it and black. The initiation," he says carefully, "will pull these things out with only the remorse our deepest selves have for our folly." [Marius] shrugs. "I do not know if there are sorceries that are similar, but I would not doubt that you have been through lesser versions of such tests. Our father seems the type to...push."
He smiles. "For the record, you may also wish to talk to our Uncle Caine about our mother. I do not know that he will say much, but she trusted him with a great deal of my introduction to this new world."
Signy looks slightly irritated at Brennan's non-answers, but doesn't appear willing to pursue the matter further. "Why the sudden interest in my father? Both Lilly and you show up at almost the exact same time. It seems...difficult to believe that this is mere happenstance, especially when you factor in my brother showing up at the same time as well...."
Again, Brennan's faint smile. "Happenstance is a much better explanation for this Family than you might expect, actually. But in this case... your father makes blades that are deadly to Lords of Chaos. You heard us mention a Dragon-- that's one. You heard us mention Dara-- that's another. You seem to have created a third. There are more. In this skill, he is unique as far as we know. And all the more puzzling in that nothing I've heard so far gives me any reason to believe that he's another relative. Well, nothing except his blades, I should say. Your father is unique, useful, and unexplained. Any of those would be sufficient-- even the chance to explain an old mystery to one of our elders is a powerful draw. All three at once is irresistable.
"The only odd thing is the timing of it all, with all three active Knights Commander converging at once. But in this Family..." Brennan finishes with an eloquent shrug. These things happen.
Marius nods. "Coincidence is a word we use only because we don't know the identity of the puppeteers. It is not impossible that as one may use certain abilities to manipulate opportunity, opportunity may manipulate in its own turn." A wry smile.
"Of course, he might be a Dragon himself," Marius notes to Brennan, just to show that Marius' flair for wild fantasies still continue. "That would be of amusing ...coincidence," he admits, laughing.
"Or something similar," Brennan murmurs. The thought had crossed his mind. "My thought had been perhaps a brother to Oberon. He didn't actually say anything that denied either possibility, though."
Marius nods. He turns away to look at his hands, and then up to the horizon. After a moment, he looks at his sister, and his smile is warm.
Whatever is bothering Marius about that line of thought evidently doesn't bother Brennan.
Signy mulls this over for a moment. "So...if my father makes blades that are deadly to these Lords of Chaos, who makes the blades that are deadly to...us?"
"So far as I know, no one," Brennan says. "Let's hope it stays that way." By Brennan's reckoning, it's about time for Marius and Brennan to be allowed some questions. He glances at Marius.
Marius disagrees. "I like to think everyone makes blades that are deadly to us, it's just that we have a little more time and experience to learn to avoid their edges and points." A reminder that age is not the only expression of mortality.
As to Brennan's glance, Marius shakes his head just ever so slightly. He is either still preparing his questions, or concerned with something else entirely.
Brennan sees Marius' denial, shrugs, and turns back to Signy. "Okay, I'll start. The subject of father-child disagreements is near to my heart, so I'll start there-- what did he do that provoked you to take up arms against him?"
Signy frowns, both at the memory and at trying to determine where Brennan might be headed with this question. "He decided to lock me in my room in his Tower for defying him. I managed to get out, and decided that one good turn deserved another."
She pauses, but continues on, clearly anticipating Brennan's next question. "I defied him because there was some lordli...some lord that he wanted me to marry, and I chose not to go along with that plan." Her frown relaxes somewhat as she seems to savor some memory. "I convinced my intended that we would not be a good match, and he left, at which point my father got a little...vexed with me, and locked me in my rooms."
Her frown returns as she finishes revisiting her past. "You mentioned a name...'Madoc'. That was the name of the lord that my father wanted me to marry. Another coincidence...?" she asks archly. "Unfortunately, that was right when Ambrose showed up, and I didn't have a chance to see what my father's reaction was to that name....."
Marius looks sympathetically at Signy, but then the thought of, "Marriage is like two souls joining together. Not unlike Chaosian eating habits," occurs to him, and while Marius is willing to put "not liking Madoc" far above "not liking green beans," he glances at Brennan, and his expression is angry. It's not directed at the Knight-Commander, but Marius' hands clench into fists, and he forces them to relax, stretching them out away from his sides, as if keeping them from his knives.
[OOC: Live, and make us weep to hear your fate, fair creature, Rare as you seem to be.]
Brennan's eyes widen in surprise, then he meets Marius' glance. He is not exactly overjoyed, either.
"What world is this?" Marius mutters under his breath. "What world would they have it be?" he asks of no one in particular.
"I mentioned Madoc's name because you'd mentioned it before." Brennan says, "It's a game we play at parties, called, 'Let's let the other guy wonder how much we know.' Madoc is, well, he's a distant relative to you and Marius, but unless you're interested in the full Family tree, we'll skip the details. I've met him once or twice, and I expect him to be... powerful. That he would consider taking a wife, much less bargain for it is downright fascinating. How long ago was this? And more importantly, what was he offering?"
Signy shrugs, but doesn't make any note of Marius or Brennan's reactions. "Lilly seemed to recognize the name when I first met him, and was trying to determine if she was some new Champion of my father's. When it was clear that you all knew her, I figured it was worth floating, to see if it provoked a reaction." She glances at Brennan with a calculating look. "So, why are father-child disagreements so near to your heart?"
"Because Brand wanted to kill me," Brennan says. "He obviously failed, and he won't ever have another chance."
Marius nods. "There is a lot more to Sir Brennan's story, although for reasons of future 'coincidence,' Signy, may I ask if the convincing your 'intended' took was of the type of blade or tongue? If he holds a grudge, it could be useful to know."
Signy gives a malicious smile. "It was verbal, and Sorcerous. Enough slights, and he decided that the deal my father offered wasn't for him." Her grin depens, and becomes more feral. "One night, at dinner, I rotted the front legs out of the chair he was sitting in, and got him to spill a bowl of soup in a most spectacular fashion at a reception my father had for him."
She looks at Brennan with something akin to sympathy. "If you don't mind my asking, why did he want to kill you?"
Evidently, Brennan does mind, because his eyes unfocus into a thousand-yard stare right through Signy, and if she cares to notice, she can see the muscles of his jaw clench and release, clench and release. After a moment, he realizes that some response would be appropriate.
He turns to Marius, and looks at him through refocused eyes. "She does need to know, doesn't she?" There's another question in there, aside from the one he actually voiced.
"The why, if not the way. That it never happens again," Marius says. He's a little blurry on the details himself, but he knows there were reasons, just as he knows there are listeners. "We take steps to prevent the why, and the way never need be opened."
Marius tries to give Brennan some space. "His father is responsible for killing our mother. If we are granted distance from the sins of our parents, by actions rather than blood, Brennan has proven himself true a thousand different ways." Marius smiles, "I am closer to her killer than he," he refers to the Knight Commander. "With that," he returns to the questioning, "what allowed your escape and eventual turnabout play?"
Signy notes though does not obviously comment on Brennan's response, and lets the matter drop without fanfare.
She looks at Marius with amused disbelief. "I don't really know how I did it. He'd locked me in well, and there was no obvious route of escape. I'd been working at the enchantments keeping me in, and having little luck in unravelling any of the weave." Her voice becomes more confused as she goes on. "One day, I'd started to pick at it again, and suddenly the whole weave weakened, as if something had hit it hard. I focused, found a spot that was weaker then the rest, and was able to pierce it fully." Her gaze flicks between Maruis and Brennan to watch their reactions as she continues.
Brennan listens with his eyes getting narrower and narrower. He very evidently does not like where he thinks this is going, and glances at Marius to see if he's thinking along the same lines. Then his attention, all of it, is back on Signy.
"When I got out of his Tower, there was a large black road that cut through things that hadn't been there before, that just seemed to go on without end. It was then that I hooked up with the company of Heroes that I ended up leading. Their Sorceror had died in a running battle with some of them, and when I proved myself capable of taking care of myself they gave me a spot. After a while, I ended up leading because all our other warleaders kept dying on us."
"Same war, different campaign," Brennan says to Marius. His attention is still on Signy but the words are pitched to Marius. "This is very important, Signy: The creatures from the end of the Black Road-- what was their disposition? Were they just passing through? Committing random acts of destruction and desecration? Or did they have a target or objective you could determine?"
Marius is nodding, slower and slower as he listens. His smile hasn't faded, but the expression of his eyes is grim. He was afraid he'd stumbled upon the right question.
Signy runs her hand through her hair, a look of remembered weariness on her face. "Their disposition was...unpleasant. They attacked my band at every turn, and for a few months we were wondering if our time left was measured in days or in hours. At times it almost felt like they were looking for us specifically -- they were around every bend and over every hill, and almost seemed like they knew where we'd be before we did." She chews on her lower lip slightly as she recalls more fully that time. "There were stories of some bands treating with the creatures from credible enough sources, but I don't know much more then that. They didn't seem much inclined to stay all that long, though."
"Perhaps your erstwhile suitor got some of what he wanted after all," Marius says to Brennan by way of Signy. "Unpleasant disposition aside, did they eventually all leave?"
Brennan indicates by expression that he thinks he-- and Marius-- already know the answer to this. But he adds, "And what about their response to Weyland, if any, and vice-versa?" as he listens to the response with focussed attention.
Signy offers a helpless shrug, clearly aware that she doesn't have the answers they're looking for. "They all left. There was a night of wild storms, as if the world was ending, and we all huddled in camp wondering what was happening. In the morning, the storms died down, and the road had cracks running through it, and started to break up and disintegrate before our eyes. Before too long, the road was gone, but nothing grows well where the road used to be, not even the weeds." She frowns and her attention turns inward. "I'd tried to grow things with Sorcery, but even that wasn't yielding much, despite the amount of effort....." Her voice trails off, before she comes back to the moment. "During the time the road was there, I never went very close to my father's lands -- I had no desire to be recaptured and imprisoned again, and most of our time and energy was spent in avoiding the creatures that came from it. Once the road started to break up, though, the things seemed to have vanished. There were a handful of creatures that were still there -- we fought a couple of them to remove them from the lands of other Lords, but they felt like stragglers, or the lost.
"So what was that Road?"
Brennan doesn't answer immediately. He looks around, judging whether they're close enough to his intended destination or not, then raises a finger in a hold-that-thought gesture.
A few moments later, they round a corner and come to one of the Castle's innumerable small, outside dining nooks. This one happens to be on the western side of the castle, mostly out of the sun in the morning, but more importantly, overlooking the gardens, the Steps of Kolvir coming up the mountain, and having a wide and breathtaking view of the Vale of Garnath... and of Arden and of the City and Sea if one takes the pain to look northwest or southwest. The nook is already set out with a full breakfast: bacon, sausages, eggs, and coffee for himself, whatever he knows Marius to prefer, and whatever he can infer of Signy's taste from his brief time in her command tent.
As they round the corner and come upon the view, Signy stops momentarily, gazing out at the scene before her. The only outward signs of her reaction to the grand sight before her are a slight widening of her eyes, and a quietly drawn in breath that she holds for a few moments. She moves towards the table more by instinct, her gaze locked on the panorama before her.
[Brennan] sits, and gestures Signy do the same, then gestures out over Garnath and Arden. "You can see where it ended," he says, "right outside this castle. Deirdre's older brother, Eric, died there, stopping the same forces you fought. The other end ran all the way to the other side of reality, in the Courts of Chaos. Your brother and Lilly and I, and what seemed like most of the Family at the time, went there and fought to put an end to it. That's where Deirdre and Brand died." An old soldier and campaigner, Brennan doesn't let the talk of death prevent him from pouring coffee or serving himself up some breakfast.
Marius sits as well, and is, as usual, happy to eat anything that isn't seafood. Well, anything except for Brennan's idea of coffee. [Marius believes that coffee is usually a beverage, you see...]
Signy takes a seat, her gaze still taking in the sights in front of her. She absentmindedly breaks off some cheese from the plate in front of her as she looks at the area that the road had been in.
"Madoc hailed from somewhere a lot closer to the other end of that road. I'm fascinated by the timing of all that, and I'd have been fascinated to know how the Courts regarded Weyland."
"The creator of swords designed specifically to pain them? From what I understand, they would have as mixed emotions as I," Marius suggests, amusedly. He dribbles some sauce on his plate with a steady hand. "Some would fear, and some would fear more it being used against them rather than for them. My brief knowledge of those Courts suggests that power not taken is power undeserved. The Eater only reinforced it. Lilly refused being its master, so Lilly, and likely the rest of us, were set only to be its servants." He looks at Signy for a moment, before slicing a hard-boiled egg with his fork. "And edible at that." He's not quite going to tell Signy she was in danger of being lunch. He eats the egg slowly, sliding it in the sauce before each bite.
As Marius talks, Signy's gaze wanders over the Steps of Kolvir, drinking it all in one last time before turning to focus back on the conversation at hand. She looks consideringly at the coffee on the table, inhaling the scents cautiously, before deciding to pour herself a cup.
Brennan doesn't disagree with anything Marius said, but the set of his jaw implies that there are still unanswered questions in his mind. Questions they're unlikely to be able to answer at this table, though.
"As for the timing, I worry that some of it was entwined with our mother's plans. I had news that Signy was in danger. Madoc and the Road were certainly that. Still, Signy, was the Hob a member of our father's entourage before the strangers came?"
"Not that I'd ever seen. When I was talking with Hob, he claimed that Weyland had bargained with Oberon, the King of the Rock People, and gotten his services."
Brennan grunts acknowledgement. "Not conclusive, but very suggestive. What does that make the sequence of events, then? One, you're born. Two, you're proposed to Madoc. Three, you repudiate said proposal who leaves, presumeably to go back home. Four, you're imprisoned. Five, the Black Road appears local to you, and you escape. Six, you fight the Black Road forces. Seven, the rains come and wash the Road away."
Filling in his own personal history he adds, "Around Five and Six, I was following it backward with the intent of finding the source. Didn't make it all the way. Then I contacted Benedict to help with the last phases of the war, around Seven." An aside to Signy: "Marius, Lilly and I met at that point-- with a little different luck, you and I might have met, instead."
With his characteristic puzzle-frown, he asks, "Signy, how long was it Four and Five? Marius, when did Deirdre tell you Signy was in danger? About... Five, if I had to guess? And here's what I'd love to know-- when did Madoc send the Aisling out? Before, or after Three? And if Oberon cut his deal with Weyland between Six and Seven, what did he get as his end of the deal?"
[Note to GMs: Brennan helped question Aisling with Gerard and Caine, and I tihnk it was handled in summary so I don't know the quality of Brennan's information. Can Brennan make a decent guess at where Aisling would have fit in that timeline? He might be able to narrow it down to before Five or after Five.]
[rereading that thread, she was told to stay off the black road, so it was there before she was. When the black road was on the Plains of Towers is not necessarily obvious.]
"Suppositions and guesses, and their relevance may be moot," Marius sighs, setting back an empty cup. "I followed some information of our mother's that would have been, obviously, pre-Seven, but [UNLESS THE GMs SAY OTHERWISE] I do not know how much. Of course, the idea of the King of the Rock People now suggests to me that I was not thinking of a particular red stone of some symbolic significance, as Hob had introduced himself as one of the Rock People." Marius frowns, but it is replaced again by a soft smile. "If not the rocks from which the firelilies were spawned. But I repeat myself with the next question," he sighs, amused.
Brennan doesn't know what to make of the Rock People references, and hadn't known since the first time he heard the term. So he shrugs.
He changes the focus slightly. "Brennan, was Aisling purely of Madoc, or was it a more traditional spawning and we should be looking at another parent?"
Brennan frowns, more in concentration than anything else, trying to replay a long and detailed conversation in his head, quickly, before answering. "I believe," with a slight emphasis on 'believe,' "that she was spawned directly of Madoc," he says. "She spoke of no other parent, but more importantly she spoke of being born to a purpose, which fits with what I know. She also said that she didn't know what the purpose was, but that it wasn't what she was eventually used for. So it sounds like she was spawned."
Brennan thinks some more, then answers one of his own questions from before. "The way she said things implied that she was made after the Road appeared, or certainly not long before it. In retrospect, I wonder if she had her eye out for a replacement for Signy." Then, evidently as he hits something he had forgotten in the conversation he's replaying in his head, he turns to Signy and asks: "Did Madoc come to Weyland's Tower alone? If not, who did he bring with him?"
Signy watches Marius and Brennan go back and forth with an owlish look on her face. She washes a mouthful of bread and cheese down with the last of her cup of coffee, and reaches for the carafe to refill it. "Madoc had a couple of retainers with him. I assumed that they were manservants, but after his arrival they were never around that I saw." She deftly spears some meat with a knife, and drops it onto her plate. "Though maybe they were priests. They certainly dressed funny." She slices the meat, and starts to stack it with some more cheese and bread. "Madoc showed up when I was about 70 or so. I think I spent two or three years imprisoned by my father, but after a while the days kinda blur together, so it may have been longer. When I got out, I spent about five years with the Band fighting the creatures of the road before it broke up."
Brennan's only reaction to that, with a skeptical facial expression, is when Signy mentions that Madoc's retainers might have been priests. "Were they human?"
"Well, they weren't Pwcas like Hob was. But they dressed funny. Most of the time they had really high collars that were buttoned up tight. Looked constipated."
She pauses before taking another bite. "What do you think Madoc wanted with me?"
"What does anyone want out of a diplomatic marriage? Diplomatic relations, stability, influence, a suitable dynasty..." Brennan throws out the list to see if anything sticks. "The usual, I'd think. Hard to say what his priorities were without knowing more about his long term goals, and I just don't know him well enough. If he doesn't try to kill me the next time I see him, I'll ask. I have no idea when that might happen, though."
Marius almost interrupts this one, but decides that Internal Redhead Politics probably isn't his cue.
Signy looks thoughtful. "Do you know who all has the blades my father made?"
At that point a page comes to the edge of their nook and waits for one of the Knights to acknowledge him.
Signy glances uncertainly between Marius and Brennan, aware that her question for now will probably go unanswered.
"Bleys and Corwin," Brennan says, in answer, "Brand's and Deirdre's full brothers, respectively."
He gives Marius a we'd-best-get-this-done-with glance, then shifts his attention to the page waiting in the wings. Brennan expects he knows who the page is from-- Caine always seems to find him when he sets foot in Amber-- but doesn't interrupt the page.
Marius nods, letting the conversation go interrupted. He makes clear with body language the idea that this is not an interruption of Family, but of a person on a social scale that could speak for Family, in case Signy's not sure.
The page bows to them all. "His Highness the Regent sends his greetings and asks that you all attend on him, particularly the Lady Signy and her attendant."
Brennan nods and gives a cynical smirk, having expected something like that. He looks to Marius and muses, "He always seems to find me when I come back home. Like he's watching for me."
If there is anything at all odd about Tomat being particularly included in the request, Brennan doesn't show it. Instead, he rises and takes a position of informal escort for Tomat, letting Marius take the position to escort his sister if he so desires.
Signy glances at the page as he speaks, a brief flash of concern lighting her eyes as she wonders what a summons by name can mean. As she rises, her gaze flicks past Tomat to gauge his reaction to the summons.
Tomat is holding a reasonably inscrutable expression, as he has been doing all along. But he starts to fall into a retainer's position behind Signy, until he notices Brennan taking up with him.
The page leads them through the Castle to what Marius and Brennan recognizes as the Regent's office. On arrival, he knocks and waits for Caine to admit him, announcing Sir Brennan, Sir Marius, Lady Signy, and then hesitating before saying, "her attendant".
Caine is at his desk and rises politely, an effort Brennan and Marius suspect he wouldn't bother with if Signy weren't present. "Come in, please." He gives Signy a long and assessing look. "Welcome to Amber, niece."
Signy looks around the office and at Caine with an equally assassing gaze, though the rapid movement of her gaze reveals her uncertainty at her new surroundings.
Marius, on the other hand, relaxes. It's not got that whole gentle rocking motion, but it's still Caine's place.
"I apologize. While you are family, I don't know who you are, other than 'Uncle', and am at something of a disadvantage."
"Prince Caine, Regent of Amber," Brennan says, "Your mother's brother." Then, to complete the introductions: "Signy, daughter of Deirdre and Weyland; Brother Tomat, her retainer."
Caine nods pleasantly at Signy, and his eyes narrow slightly as he looks at Tomat, but he doesn't say anything. Tomat meets his gaze, but drops his eyes quickly enough.
To Caine, Brennan adds, "Family history was not encouraged at Weyland's Tower. There is a great deal she does not yet know."
Caine nods.
"Brother Tomat was responsible for great amounts of assistance in my journey," Marius says, from his almost-reclined position. It's kind of, "He was useful, so we haven't killed him yet." "Alas, the side of the family Signy has been familiar with has been the hungry part." Eat or be eaten.
"The hungry part?" Caine inquires, looking to whichever of them cares to answer.
"If I can certainly do you the courtesy of namedropping," Marius suggests, still amused. "Most worrisome would be Madoc, progenitor of Aisling, as a potential...husband." He frowns again. "She is also survivor of an aspect of the Black Road." He says it in a way that suggests pride in Signy.
Caine frowns slightly at the mention of the late Knight of the Ruby, but doesn't say anything immediately.
Brennan is more interested in what ever byplay just happened between Caine and Tomat. Brennan stands completely at ease in Caine's office, and since Marius answered the question, he has nothing relevant to add. So he continues to politely observe Tomat.
Signy notices the interplay between Caine and Tomat with slightly narrowed eyes, but for the moment doesn't comment directly on it. "News certainly traveles fast in this family," she notes in a dry tone of voice. "I assume by now that King Random also knows of my existence?"
"He does," Caine agrees. "I talked to him immediately after I sent for you. He's in Xanadu, so I caught up on the latest family business."
He turns his attention to Brennan and Marius. "Julian is planning to take Jovian into shadow, where he can run off his madness safely without endangering himself or anyone else."
Brennan's face sombers for a moment. "I see," he says. "I'd hoped to see them before they left." It doesn't sound as though he still holds that hope, since there's still work to do.
Marius frowns. "His madness," he repeats. "Will this be an extended leave of absence for our Uncle Julian, requiring another to take his place in Arden? And of Sir Jovian, will he be needing watchers to make sure none of the Hungry Ones take this as an excuse to feast?"
For why would Caine mention it otherwise?
Caine shakes his head. "Julian plans to release him in a particular area of Shadow known to Random. I haven't been there, but it's had a strong Family presence for some years, and interested protectors. Vista's holding the fort in Arden until Julian returns. You'll have to ask Random for more details."
Signy's gaze alternates between the three Amberites, a look of resignation over the bulk of the conversation being clearly over her head.
"When will I be meeting the King?"
"Would you like to go now?" Caine asks.
Tomat listens to the byplay silently and warily.
Brennan does nothing to ease Tomat's wariness. Rather, he notices it and doesn't bother to conceal that he's noticed it.
"There is one thing we should do before leaving," Brennan says to Caine. "I'm sure you already know that the guns which were turned on Jovian and his companion were Huon's guns. Opinion is split on whether he's marching on Amber, on Rebma, or some point known only to him. I promised I'd test a powder sample here before bringing Signy through to the King. Shouldn't take long."
Signy appears momentarily taken aback at the ease at which the meeting is offered, before giving a curt nod of acceptance.
Brennan shrugs back in her direction-- he'd been hanging around to give her more information on the Family, as much as to get information out of her. All she had to do was ask.
Signy gives Brennan a grateful look in return. "Will you be coming along to wherever it is after you're done here?"
"Depends on what the results are, I suppose. If not," Brennan includes Marius as well as Signy in the next statement, "Give Cambina my regards if you see her. Tell her not to worry. I'll send word by other means."
"Why don't we send Signy ahead?" Caine says to Brennan. "I'm interested in the experiment myself, but there's no point in having Signy wait while we play researcher."
After a flicker of thought, which doubtless includes a careful consideration of the exact phrasing of Caine's statement, Brennan decides he has no objection to this.
He opens a desk drawer and pulls out his Trump deck, shuffling out a card. After a moment of concentration, he says, "Random? I"ve got company for you. The new niece we discussed. Shall I send her through?"
After another moment, he extends his hand in Signy's direction.
Brennan infers from all this that Caine wants to talk to either him or Tomat or both. As such, he gives a nod; and whether the experiments are carried out in Caine's office or in some other location to which Caine will take them, Brennan lets Caine open that conversation up, whatever it is.
As he has been since Tomat was specifically invited to Caine's office, Brennan continues to keep an eye on Tomat, perhaps commandeering him as a lab assistant if it seems warranted.
Signy rises from her seat, and glances at Tomat as she steps over towards Caine. She starts to raise her hand to meet his, then stops and locks eyes with him, clearly wondering why Tomat is being kept behind and what will happen to him, her hand still only half-raised to meet his.
Caine meets her gaze inquiringly, but doesn't say anything.
After a heartbeat of time, when it becomes apparent that Caine isn't offering anything, Signy's jaw sets and her shoulders tighten up slightly. "May I know why Tomat is going to be staying here while I go on ahead?"
Caine gives a slight shake of his head and clarifies: "No."
Signy pulls her hand back slightly, and a faint hint of steel creeps into her voice. "He is here because of me, and has been a trusted teacher and advisor as long as I have known him. If he is to be detained, I would like to know what he has done to merit this, and what is to be done to him in my proposed absence."
"Where you're going, Tomat may not follow. It's that simple," Caine says. He adds, and Marius and Brennan suspect this is for Random's benefit, "She's feisty. Takes after her mother a bit."
Signy stops drawing away from Caine, but does not immediately resume reaching for his hand. "I have a feeling that there is more to this then I am being told," she says with some doubt in her voice. "Will I be able to rejoin him after I am finished wherever it is that I am going?"
Brennan watches silently with an expression suddenly devoid of affect. There is no help available from Brennan.
Tomat is watching the entire business with some trepidation, but it's probably too late for him and he seems to know it.
Caine shrugs. "That's up to the King. I am merely his servant."
After a moment, he adds, again for Random's benefit, "She wants to rejoin her paxman when you're done with her." There's a pause and then he smiles at Random, and says, "True enough, Your Majesty."
Another pause and Caine's full attention is on the card and not on Signy for a moment. "Your Majesty is, as always, a fountain of wisdom." It's the sort of thing he might have said to Eric, Marius thinks.
A part of Caine's attention returns to Signy. "Assuming that all goes well and you don't, for instance, refuse oath to the Crown--an oath your brother and Brennan here and I have all already taken--there's no reason you shouldn't be able to rejoin your man."
Marius shakes his head, addressing Signy. "You can refuse. I cannot say there will not be consequences, as every step taken on a journey takes you to a destination. Tomat is formerly of an elite brotherhood of knowledge. Just as our knowledge can condemn or redeem us, it may be that your challenge now is to walk this journey without his companionship. I would prefer to go with you, but you may ask me to stay, and if you ask me to stay and watch over him, I will do so." He leaves the choice to her, without a glance to Caine.
Signy gazes distractedly at the floor as Caine and then Marius speak. As Marius finishes, she looks up at him, ignoring Caine and even Brennan and Tomat for the moment. "I am torn now, whereas in our father's Tower the choice before me was clear and obvious. I do not like this; there is more here then I am being told, but I do not have time to find out what is not being told to me before I have to chose a path." She looks at Tomat steadily for a moment, before continuing. "I have gone this far on the faith that I am not jumping into worse then I left. I must ask your continued trust on this, but I will be returning as quickly as I can."
She turns to Marius. "I would appreciate the company on this leg of the journey, brother, and get to spend some time getting to know you and our mother better." She turns to Caine, and resumes reaching towards him with her hand, and raises her other to Marius.
Caine reaches for Signy's hand and passes Marius and Signy through to Random.
Last modified: 16 September 2007