Raven backtracks her way to somewhere more familiar in the castle and from there to her room, waylaying a page as she goes to ask them to figure out where Brennan has gotten off to.
She stands in front of the wardrobe for a few minutes, frowning at a bunch of clothes that are still pretty unfamiliar, just like the room and the bed that she's not sure she's spent two nights in a row in yet. And the castle. And the city - city? Kingdom? Whatever it is, it's still pretty unfamiliar.
On the other hand, there's at least one thing familiar. Six years lost on the Vale, and the idea of getting home to Amber buzzed around in the back of her head the whole time. Coming home, to find home wasn't supposed to be home anymore, and the whole Xanadu thing and the whole 'surprise, you' re a Royal' thing - well, if she's honest with herself, the whole 'your family is a whole lot more than just you and Ma' thing too - had turned everything upside down, inside out, and way out of her depth. The idea of Amber had rather fallen by the wayside for a bit.
And now it's back. Buzzing around like it never left. Almost an old friend. If Amber can be restored...
Well, it'd be a hell of a thing. And maybe it can't and it'll come to nothing, but if she doesn't poke her nose into it, at least a little, she'll never forgive herself. Sometimes you do what you have to do to get home - she learned that the night everything boiled over and she led the mutiny on the Vale, didn't she? This isn't going to be solved on the end of a blade, though. This is going to require other skills. What other skills, she's not sure yet, but maybe she should start keeping an ear out.
Raven realizes she's been staring at the same shirt without seeing it for way too long and shakes herself. Right. Things to do.
She picks out a shirt and pants that look like they'll wear well, even if they're way nicer than she would have bought herself, and then the assorted things she needs for underneath that. With that bundled under her arm, she ventures forth again - first to ask a servant to back a bag for her (still weird, but time is what it is) and then to locate somewhere to quickly strip, scrub any lingering Gatewegian sea salt off, and make herself presentable again.
There is, as it turns out, a bathroom in Raven's chamber, with both a bathtub and a shower. The page shows Raven how to use it if she needs a lesson.
The servants ask a bit about what Raven is packing for and then are off to do the packing. By the time Raven is out and freshly dressed (her clothes are laid out for her in the dressing area by the time she's out, and a bag is prepared), there's a message waiting for her: Max would like to talk to her. Probably not how the page messaging system is meant to be used. But Max is like that.
Max was on the list of people Raven was meaning to check in with, if she could manage to be in Xanadu for more than a few minutes at a time, in no small part because she's pretty sure he was getting into trouble the last time she knew where he was. So she swings the bag up on one shoulder and asks the message deliverer to lead the way to her brother.
Actually Max is waiting outside Raven's door and comes in when the page opens it. He doesn't wait to be offered a seat, but settles into one of the chairs in the small receiving room in the suite. (Other servants are packing in the sleeping and dressing area, which is behind a door, politely closed.)
"I hear you're going off again," Max says. "And that there are a bunch of new relatives."
"Aye," Raven agrees as she settles into a chair. "I saw the new ones, I think, but I can't say I've spoken with them. Probably ought to, if only as somebody else that recently joined the party, but other things come first. Like heading out again." She frowns a little, pausing. "That a problem? Because I knew what I was signing up for when I joined the Navy, and that was being gone on business for the realm more often than not. Seems like being an adult in this family ain't so different, at least right now, unless you dig in your heels and say no to that."
Max shrugs at the bit about travel for the realm. He doesn't seem to be bothered by future duties to the crown. "I hear one of 'em might be my sister," he adds, with emphasis on the last two words.
Raven shakes her head. "There was a bit of a rescue and destroy going on. I didn't exactly stop to check and see where they'd come from," she says dryly. "Is this one of those brothers and sisters your da told you about? And where'd you hear that, anyway?"
"Someone said in the infirmary that they needed to tell my grandma about it, and that kind of thing comes back to me." Max looks smugly at Raven. "I make it worth people's while to help me."
Raven snorts in amusement. "'Course you do," she says. "Pretty sure Ma shouted something like at me a time or two, when I was pissed she knew what I'd been up to, and the Castle side of the family seems to be fond of that kind of give and take, so I'm sure you got it from your dad, too. What are you getting at, asking me about your sister?"
"I wanted to know what you heard, and if you met her," Max says. "What's she like? That kind of thing. It's weird to have a new sister. And nobody told me anything anyway. They tell you things because you're older."
"Yeah, don't know anything about it being weird to have a new member of the family," Raven says dryly, with a smile. "Honestly, I may have met her, but I was passing through where they were on my way to other problems. You got a name for her?"
"Say-o," Max says. "Miss Say-o. It's not weird to have little sisters. My father told me about them. He didn't tell me about this one. He told me I was the oldest."
"Maybe he didn't know?" Raven suggests. "Or maybe he was just keeping it secret for some reason -- and that reminds me. You wanna tell me what's so interesting in those caves? Promise I won't tell Ma."
Max frowns, though whether it's at the question or the idea that Lucas kept something from him isn't clear to Raven. "I dunno what all's in there yet," he admits, scowling a little. "I ain't--I haven't gone all the way back yet. They go a long ways. I still go in there with some of the others, when we can. When we have a day off and I'm not supposed to be in teaching."
It's Raven's turn to frown, and after a moment's thought she blows out a breath, something not quite a sigh. "Be careful," she says frankly. "I don't know what's in there either, but I know one thing that's down below the castle and might be findable, and ain't a one of you pages that should be messing with that. You'll get to, when you're older and the King says you're up, but that's not yet and it could hurt the others. Your dad tell you enough about all of this," and she gestures in a vague circle to indicate the castle and all that comes with it, "that you know what I'm talking about?"
"No," Max says, and it almost manages to sound like he's not sulking. "He said I'd have to prove my heritage," which word he pronounces with a very Lucasian lack-of-'h'-sound, "but he didn't explain how. He said when I did it, though, nobody would doubt I was a Prince of Amber."
"Aye, that's about the shape of it, as far as I understand it," Raven agrees. "But I'm not going to tell you much more right now either, because you and I barely know each other and I ain't sure yet if you're the same kind of kid I was. I know what I would have done if I'd known about all of that, but I also know I was a stubborn arse getting into things because I knew it would piss Ma off, especially when I was mad at her." She pauses and then snorts. "Come to think of it, that's why I joined the Navy in the first place. Point is, I don't want to lecture, but getting that proof is one of those things that you have to know how to do or you could get really hurt and, if you ain't blood kin, worse than hurt. So if you find something weird down there, you need to tell someone up here -- and I don't care if that's me or if that's someone else that's kin that you feel comfortable telling. Fair?"
Max glares at Raven for a bit and says, "Fine. Fair," adding, after another bit of glaring, "I dunno who to trust that's family, besides maybe you, about this."
Before Raven can answer that, there's a knock on the door, and Max runs to answer it, like a good page. It turns out to be one of his colleagues, saying "Message for Captain Raven from Sir Brennan. He's getting ready to leave and would appreciate your presence at your earliest convenience."
"And there's what I've been waiting for," Raven says. "Right." She glances over to check on the progress of the packing as she continues, "Thanks for the message. Where's he at? And then Max, I'm gonna steal you to show me where that is, because I've gotta be here longer than I have so far to actually know where most anything is in this castle. This ain't a great time to try and find anyplace I don't already know on my own, and I can answer that question of yours while we're walking."
Through a complicated process of finding where Ambrose was, they figure out where Ambrose and Brennan will be, roughly. It's not a surprise to Raven that the staff has a good idea of where people are in the castle at any given time; the level of service they receive requires it. Usually it's not that visible to Raven.
Having figured out where they're going (somewhere by the gazebo), Raven and Max set off, Max sort of leading but also looking back to get her expression, clearly waiting for the story of who to trust.
Raven makes sure she's close enough to keep her voice quiet, just because they're out in the halls now. "So, bearing in mind we're all scattering like rats when the bilge is on the rise," she says, her voice wry, "and I ain't sure exactly who's staying for how long... Don't know much about the older Princes and Princesses, seeing as how I've only really met the Admirals and the King. Either of the Princes that're our cousins, they're all right. Jerod can be tough, but he'd listen and do something about it. Conner's solid, for the most part," and her voice goes a bit dry, "as long as he ain't anywhere near a duel, at least. Sounded like he was headed off on Rebma business, though, so it might be a while before he turns back up. Might've told ya to try Lady Folly, but there's things going on there that make me think of payday nights when Ma'd send me to bed before things got noisy, so I'd say make your own decision there. I'd rather you stay away from Marius, who I ain't sure is bad but I also ain't sure how he made it to manhood without getting himself killed, but most of the cousins other than that and the new ones I ain't met yet seem all right. Few of 'em are green, few of 'em are weird, but I'm pretty sure most any of them would listen if you told 'em I said to bring it up. And if all else fails and you ain't comfortable otherwise, you pick someone that treats you fair, and you tell 'em to get ahold of me, all right?"
"All right, I can do that. So: Prince Martin, Prince Garrett, maybe Princess Folly--" Max sounds appropriately wary of the description Raven gave "--if she's not too busy with other things, Prince Caine, Prince Gerard, the King. Lord Conner. But not Sir Marius. That sound right?" He was listening, clearly, at least.
"That'll do for now," Raven answers. "Maybe ask me again next time I'm in town, and we can talk more about it. And you can introduce me to your new sister next time, too."
They arrive at the door to the room where Brennan and Ambrose are meant to be. And Max knocks to announce her; when Ambrose opens the door he says, "Captain Raven to see you, as requested, milord."
Misao allows a page to lead them to a set of rooms and makes certain requests as to tatami, futons, a set of low tables, and other items that are probably somewhat different from what is considered normal in a Xanaduvian room. They spend much time arranging things to their satisfaction, and setting up a shrine in a place of honor in the bedroom. They place the Trump of Lucas in the middle of this shrine, light incense, and spend the balance of the time chanting prayers.
The room has little in the way of personal effects, although it has some exotic flowers (or at least they're not common in Hikariguni). The page shows her the bath and the sitting room and takes her requests to bring to the castle steward.
After some time, Misao's door opens and they emerge. Their mourning robes, their pale face, and their red eyes betray their deep grief. Nevertheless, Tenno Heika has commanded Misao's presence at a meal this evening, and Things Must Be Done to prepare.
So Misao carries a round wooden container holding small and large towels, soap, and a small wood bowl. They look for a page to show them to the castle baths.
There are pages in the hall outside their room. One of them will happily lead Misao to the baths. The castle is large, but the corridors are wide. The page will offer to carry the container, if Misao allows. After several staircases and hallways, they arrive at a door, which the page opens. Misao can feel the heat and humidity and see the vast water.
Brita has come down to one of the large hot spring pools to soak. She is sunk down so her nose is just clearing the water. She is musing on how Difficult dealing with Uncles can be but how smoothly this latest rescue appeared to have gone (at least from her perspective). She will have to see what her cousins who were in on the rescue thought...
The water's warmth is soothing and the steam reminds her of the saunas favored in Shadow Asgard. Being In the water is so much better....
"The baths, your grace," the page says to Misao. "If you wish, I can return when you need to dress for dinner."
Misao thanks the page and gratefully accepts their help later.
Misao enters, wearing a pure black kimono with five small white crests showing on shoulder, sleeve, and back. Their sash is also black, with a small modest knot in the back. There is a small gold fan tucked in the left side of the sash. Their hair all black, save for one silver lock, and they are carrying a round wooden container holding small and large towels, a smaller wooden bowl, and soap.
At first, Misao does not see Brita under the water. They place their items out of the way and start to undress, carefully folding sash, robes, under robes, etc., and place the tabi on top of the neat pile. Their hair undoes itself and hangs loose down their back. They bring the small bowl, soap, and washcloth to the edge of the bath and begin to wash themselves, careful not to pour soapy water back into the bath. Once they are clean and well-rinsed, they enter the water.
Brita has her eyes closed to give the newcomer privacy for their disrobing. When she senses the displacement of the water representing a new body in the pool, she opens her eyes and sits up more.
"Hajimashite," she says. "Brita desu. Dozo yuuroshiku." ("This is the first time. I am Brita. Please regard me with favor.") Her hair is a deep red except for one strip of blond. Her green eyes are bright with curiosity, but her face is solemn.
Misao bows slightly. "Hajimimashite. I am of Hikariguni, the child of Kimko-dono. My name is Misao. Doozo yuuroshiku."
"I am of Shadow Asgard, Daughter of Princess Fiona of Former Reality Amber and Shadow Asgard God Vidal." Brita is silent for a moment. "Did You Come to Reality Xanadu with Uncle Huon? I Do Not wish to Intrude as I Noticed You are In Mourning."
Misao looks away for a moment, then looks back.
"I do not know how things are done here. In Hikariguni, I would mourn for forty-nine days from the day of Otoo-san's death. From what I have learned, it seems that some time has already passed."
Misao pauses again.
"Tenno Heika commanded me to be present at dinner tonight, so I will be there. After, I must purify myself. After that...we shall see, I suppose."
"Your Father? Was he Of Hikariguni or Elsewhere? Could you Spend your Forty-Nine Days Learning of His Other Selves? A Daughter Often only Sees A Father from One Side. Learning His Other facets would be a Fitting Tribute." Brita is sweeping one hand gently through the water, making a soothing rhythm of ripples stretch out across the surface.
"My father...you would know him as Rukusu." It is difficult for Misao to pronounce his name. He has only ever been Otoo-san to them. "The son of Furorimeru, the daughter of Oberon."
Brita surges upright. "Cousin Lucas is Your Father?! I Made a Memorial Fountain for Him in Bright Paris. Have you Met Your Grandmother? Or Your Siblings?" The water swirls with energy from Brita's animated motions.
Brita's sudden movement startles Misao slightly and they move to one side, but Brita's words have definitely gotten Misao's attention. Their gaze becomes intent.
"A.... fountain?" Misao bows again, deeper this time. "It seems that I owe you a debt, Burita-san, for taking care of my father."
Misao pauses for a moment.
"I have met...some...of my new family. If Obaa-san was among them, she did not make herself known to me. And....I did not know that I had siblings."
A distressed expression briefly moves across Misao's face, before it is replaced by control once more.
"Can you tell me more of Otoo-san? And Obaa-san? And my....siblings?"
"Cousin Lucas was... Unique. He had a Sharp Wit and a Flamboyant Style. He was Killed by a Former Queen of Rebma, but You Should Ask your Grandmother Florimel for More Information about That. I Can Say His Death Impacted Many of Us Cousins. It Came on with Too Many Other Deaths - of my Cousin Cambina and Master Reid." Brita shakes her head as if shaking free of memories. "Cousin Lucas was Married to Lady Solace and has Two Children with Her, Young Hope and Little Philippe. They are All in Bright Paris with Aunt Florimel. Lucas's Fountain is Also There - in the Octagonal Pond at the Jardin du Palais." Brita pauses briefly and then continues, "I have Heard Rumors there are Other Children." Brita smiles wryly at Misao, "Although I Suppose the Rumors are More Truths."
Misao nods. "And yourself, Burita-san? You said that your mother is Fiona-ohime and my grandmother is Furoimeru-ohime. Are they sisters, then? Daughters of Tenno Heika?"
"Tenno...," Brita cocks her head to the side as she works through the language, then she shakes her head. "Uncle Random is Brother to My Mother and Your Grandmother. They are Children of Former Reality Amber's King Oberon. My Grandfather, Your Great Grandfather. Uncle Random was Made King by My Great Grandmare, Your Great Great Grandmare, The Unicorn. As King, He Created this Reality Xanadu." Brita waves a hand around at the baths and the castle above them. "Uncle Corwin, Your Great Uncle, is King of Bright Paris. My Cousin Celina is Queen of Watery Rebma. Cousin Folly is Best if you Wish a Full Rendering of Our Family Tree. The Oddness of Our Family Apparently comes from Our Longevity and the Disparities of Shadow Times. Some of My Generation are Older than Some of Our Parents. Go to the Right Shadow and One Child can Quickly Outpace Another in Age."
Misao nods again. "Arigatoo gozaimasu." A pause. "To change topics slightly, Tenno Heika spoke of an ordeal that we are expected to undergo. Would you be willing to tell me more of that?"
"An Ordeal?" Brita again looks a little puzzled and then the light dawns in her eyes. "Did He Say 'Pattern'? It Is a Challenge -- An Obstacle to Overcome and Open Your Full Heritage. It Will Change you." She touches the streak of blond in her hair. "The Realms of Reality each have A Pattern, Written by The Creator of That Reality. Here, it is Uncle Random's Pattern. Bright Paris is Uncle Corwin's Pattern. There is One in Watery Rebma as well. You Need Permission to Walk A Pattern as the Creator will Best Know If You have The Will to Survive. When you Do Walk, it Will Be the Hardest Thing you have Ever done. You MUST Stay ON the Path and NEVER Stop Until you Reach the Center. There Will be Challenges -- Veils, they are Named -- where Something OF You or ABOUT You Will Attempt to STOP you or LEAD you OFF The Path, but you MUST PRESS ON." Brita is stressing the words to the point that her Goddess voice is more apparent, resonating across the water such that Misao feels awash in the words.
Something about Brita's vocal resonance reminds Misao of Genbu, the Black Tortoise of the North, who has an affinity with water. Misao files this away in their mind for later investigation and asks their next question:
"What happens when I reach the center?"
"You Can Travel Anywhere. You Will be Worn, though, so it is Best to go Somewhere you Can Rest. Oh, And you Must have Someone Watching your Walk. Just In Case. I Can Watch for you, if you wish." Brita smiles gently at Misao. "The Walk Opens your Heritage as a Child of Order. You Will be able to Mold Shadow to Your Will and use That Ability to Travel Between Shadows."
"Domo arigatoo gozaimashita, Burita-san. I will gratefully accept your offer."
Misao pauses.
"I have been asking you many questions. I apologize if I was impolite. I offer you the chance to ask now, if you have more questions for me."
"It was Not Impolite. You are New and all of This Must be Confusing." Brita waves a hand to encompass the castle. She thinks for a moment. "You Were a Hostage of the monks, Yes? How did they Take You? What did they Do to you? Did you Know the Other Kin?"
"I did not see any monks. I woke up in a room in what appeared to be a hospital. I can only assume that I was captured during the night, and probably drugged. I saw two people at first, one of whom claimed to be a nurse and the other a doctor. He called himself Chew. I take it that that name is significant here."
Brita immediately stops lounging and stares in shock at Misao.
Misao pauses, but then continues.
"Then I heard a voice coming through the vents, from a person calling himself Etana-san. He and I coordinated a break out. He sent Karina-san to meet me. I accidentally hit her in the head."
Misao looks slightly embarrassed at that, but continues.
"We made our way to what Karina-san called a 'laboratory'. Karina-san found samples and written records of experiments. I found a cold metal room containing corpses." Misao shudders. "I carried them out to the main room of the lab. That is why I must purify myself. In Hikariguni we do not store bodies like meat, and the touch of the dead is considered highly polluting." Misao shudders again.
"We collected all bodies, samples, and records together and set them on fire. While leaving the laboratory, we encountered armed enemies. Eventually, we met Etana-san, Arekusu-san, and Deruta-san in an office. Etana-san brought help through....Tenno Heika called them Trumps. We fought off the armed enemies. I was able to capture one alive. Then Jieroddo-san told us that it was unsafe for us to stay and Merin-san sent us through to here.
"As for what they wanted, Etana-san thought it was to take samples from me."
Brita does not swear, but she looks like she wants to. "Yes, that man Most Definitely Wanted to Take Samples. They Held One Dear to Me and that man was at the Center of it. I can Only Hope My Cousins Managed to End him." She slaps at the water, sending a wave of water up a nearby wall. She then dunks herself in the water until the water stills over her head.
Finally, after several minutes, Brita's head rises out of the water. Her eyes open and she glances at Misao. "Sumimasen. I Let My Anger get Away from me. I am Glad You were Rescued Before Worse befell you."
She sighs. "I am Goddess of Clean Waters and could Help in Your Purification from Death if you Wish."
Misao nods in understanding. "No need to apologize, Burita-san. If they hurt one that you hold dear, then your anger is perfectly reasonable.
"I would appreciate your help with the cleansing, as pure water is needed. But I also must acquire wood, metal, and fire. All the elements must be balanced."
Misao cocks their head to one side. "Have you ever heard of the name Genbu in your Shadow travels?"
"Genbu? No, I do not Think I have Heard that Name. What or Who is it?" Brita replies.
"Genbu is one of the Rokushugojin, the Six Guardians, who govern and protect Hikariguni, my home. She...is very old, by the standards of Hikariguni, as she and the other Guardians brought peace and order to the chaos inherent in its early creation. She is the Black Tortoise and her element is Water. She is very wise and taught me much about flexibility...absorbing a negative force and bending around it, redirecting until it becomes a positive force. If you ever accompany me to Hikariguni, I think you should meet her."
"I Would be Honored," Brita says, "Both to See Your Home and to Meet Its Guardian. She Sounds Wise. You seem to have Learned Much from Her - you Resonate with Calm Waters."
Misao bows. "Thank you, Burita-san. Will you tell me something of your home? How is it that you are the Goddess of Clean Waters?"
"I was Born as Such," Brita notes. "My Father Vidar was God of Quiet Winds. He could Stop a Storm on the Seas with a Single Thought. I Suppose If He had Other Children, They would have Become Gods or Goddesses of Other Elements."
"So your home is a land of Gods, then?" Misao's expression is one of curiosity.
"Yes, Shadow Asgard is the Home of The Gods. It is Connected to the Midgard Realm - the Human Realm - by the Bifröst Bridge also called the Rainbow Bridge." Brita pauses and gets a startled look in her eyes. "Shadow Realms are Said to be Reflections of Reality. If So, then The Gods of Asgard Most Likely Reflect the Heirs of Amber and the Rainbow Bridge Connection is Like our Trumps, but Fixed In Place. My Grandda Odin is Likely a Reflection of Grandpa Oberon. My Father...." She shakes her head free of the speculative rabbit hole her red head is going down.
"Shadow Asgard Is where The Worthy Dead of The Nine Worlds are brought by The Valkyries to Celebrate in Grand Valhalla."
"That...is not entirely unlike Hikariguni. Hikariguni is populated by yokai and kami...you would probably call those 'ghosts' and 'gods'. Yokai are not human ghosts, though. There are many kinds of yokai, and many are shapeshifters. Kami are powerful divine beings, that contain and manifest portions of the natural world as part of their very essence. They are divided into Tengoku no Kami and Chikyuu no Kami, the Spirits of Heaven and the Spirits of Earth. My mother is the most powerful of the Spirits of Earth, since she was invested with the Great Regalia by the Supreme Spirit of Heaven."
"Master Nguyen Mentioned Yokai in My Training. 'Be Like the Wise Hakutaku -- See All Around You.' 'Have the Strength of the Oni.'" Brita asks, "What Onus is the Great Regalia? Are you Also Chikyuu no Kami?"
"The Great Regalia is the physical manifestation of the Mandate of Heaven.... the right, authority, duty, and responsibility to create and maintain Order throughout Hikariguni. They consist of the Jewel, the Sword, and the Mirror. As I am my mother's heir, they will become my charge should she die or abdicate her position. If I prove worthy."
Misao pauses, thinking. "I do not inherently manifest a portion of the natural order, therefore I would not consider myself Chikyoo no Kami. At the moment, I am but a yokai. Highly ranked, of course, due to my mother's position, and she has trained me hard and well. I hope to eventually deserve the high honor."
Signy quietly slips into the baths, noting both Misao and Brita in the water. She pauses, before offering a brief smile at the two of them. "Cousins," she says by way of greeting.
Brita smiles, "Greetings, Cousin Signy! Have you Met Cousin Misao? We were Discussing our Home Shadows."
Misao bows. "We meet for the first time. I am of Hikariguni, the child of Kimiko-dono. And Rukasu-dono of Parisu. My name is Misao. Please regard me favorably."
Signy's smile deepens and warms up. "I'm glad to meet you, Misao. I'm the daughter of Dierdre and Wayland the Smith." A slender woman of slightly below average height, with bright emerald eyes gazing out of a lean, oval face framed with black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail.
"I recently came here myself, from the Plane of Towers. It can certainly be a lot to take in all at once."
Signy pauses, wondering if either of her parents' names provokes a sign of recognition from her new-found cousin.
Misao shakes their head slightly at the glance. Those names are just as foreign to them as all the others they have learned today.
"It is indeed a lot to take in. 'Taihen', I would say. May I ask, which of your parents is related to Tenno Heika? Are you also a Goddess, like Burita-san?"
Misao appears the same as the last time Signy saw them, except naked and with their hair down. The hair is very long, and all black, save for one silver lock. They seem very at home in the bath, and move over to make room for the newcomer.
Signy smiles soberly as she steps over to the side where she can place clothing out of the way of most water and starts to unbutton her shirt.
"I never knew Lucas, but I was present at his funeral," she says softly, just loud enough to be heard. Her clothes neatly stashed off to the side, she gets into the bath with her two cousins and quickly dunks her head under water, before moving to lean against the side of the tub.
She frowns slightly as she considers her next words. "So, my mother Dierdre and Lucas's mother were half-sisters. My father.... He is...complicated. It seems that he is related to our family somehow on his own right, but nobody knows for sure if he is, much less how he might be related."
She shifts slightly to get into a more comfortable, relaxed position against the wall. "I'm not a goddess, I don't think, but we certainly have enough abilities that the distinction is probably fairly meaningless for us."
Brita notes to Misao, "Cousin Signy is a Weapons Smith as Her Father."
Misao nods their head. "You work in Metal, cousin? You would be related to Byakko, then, as Burita-san is to Genbu." They pause, then continue.
"My mother... would not approve of the haste of this, but... this place seems to be governed by different... protocols... than I am used to. Would it be... wrong... of me to ask you for a favor, as a smith?"
Misao looks about as awkward and uncomfortable as Brita and Signy has yet seen them.
Signy nods slowly, thinking back to her most recent attempt.
"I do work in metal, though I have started to expand a bit."
She pauses, and gives a warm smile. "I'd be happy to help you out if I can. I'm sure there's plenty of smithies in Xanadu that I could have access to, and I also have my own in Rebma."
She suppresses the brief pang of remorse over not having checked in there in far too long. "What is it that you'd be looking for help with?"
"I was explaining to Burita-san earlier that I must undergo a purification ritual after what just happened. It requires samples of all the elements. Byakko is the White Tiger of the West, whose element is Metal. It doesn't have to be a large piece of metal," and here Misao's hands describe a vague shape about the size of an ostrich egg. "Ideally, I would ask you to fashion it into the shape of Byakko, but that is not strictly necessary. It should be white metal, though.
"Could you help me find something like that, Shini-kajiya?"
Signy frowns in thought for several breaths, thinking back to her days at her father's forge and the different projects that they worked on.
"I think that should be doable. There were some metals that we worked with that I think will work, and if we can't get them here then there's a couple of different ways that we can make something that should still work."
She pauses, before continuing. "How long before you would need this?"
Misao considers this. "It would be best to perform the rite as soon as I can. But if you need time to acquire the proper element, I can wait."
Signy sighs and rolls her shoulders, enjoying the warm water. "I'll see what I can do, it hopefully won't take long."
She gives Misao a sympathetic smile. "Did you know your father well? What was he like?"
"Otoosan was..." Misao's expression is distant and concentrated, trying to think of the right words to describe something she's never had to describe before. "Otoosan was dignified. Gracious. Sophisticated. Skilled. He was not of Hikariguni, it was obvious, but he moved among us as if he had been born there. He came... he went... he was answerable to no one, except perhaps Kimiko-dono, my mother. He largely left me to my mother's raising, as was fitting, for I was intended from my beginning to become her heir. But when he did spend time with me, he was kind... patient. Although he expected the same high standards of me as my mother, he was more... relaxed. He taught me to create Trumps."
A pause.
"But he told me nothing of all this. "Misao's graceful sweep of an arm is a comprehensive gesture. "Nothing of any other family that he was related to. Until this morning, I thought Otoosan unique. He and I had this special talent... and no one else."
Misao looks back to Signy. "You can imagine what a shock this has all been."
"Cousin Lucas was Unique," Brita assures Misao. "His Talents were Many. The Art of Trump Creation Is Special. You are among a Select Few and Will be Valued for Your Knowledge."
Signy listens to Misao's tale, and offers a sorrowful smile.
"I think we're a bit alike. My mother left when I was very little, and I have only a couple of memories of her. It was never something my father talked about, and I can still remember the shock in finding out that I have a brother, not to mention all of the other cousins like Brita," she says, nodding towards her at the end.
"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
Misao nods towards Brita. "Burita-san has said that here I do. In Hikariguni, I do not." For a moment their shoulders shrug in an attitude of someone who is overwhelmed, then Misao gives a great sigh and straightens back up, squaring their shoulders and reassuming the burden.
"I will have to meet Otoosan's family, sooner or later." Misao places their hands on the edge of bath and gracefully exits, looking for a towel.
Brita glances at Signy and then back to Misao. "Your Father's more Immediate Family is in Bright Paris, but you can Meet More of His Cousins, Aunts and Uncles at Dinner," she notes as she also prepares to leave the bath.
A page named Carp escorts Delta to her new chamber.
Delta, like her new cousins, has a small suite of three rooms: a bedchamber with dressing area; a small sitting room with a desk and a seating area with a couple of chairs and an ottoman; and a spacious head with a tub and showerhead, also with the biggest mirror Delta has probably ever seen. The bed's big enough for two, three if they're friendly, and all the fabrics are soft and luxurious. There are plenty of blankets and towels and the like, and the dyes are soft colors with no fading. Same for the chairs and cushions. The woods are all light, some wood not Delta's not familiar with, but solid when she raps it. There's light that might be magic except Carp shows Delta how to turn it on and off with switches.
And the space! This is the kind of flat space that a warlord might give to a high counsellor. It's large and Carp is very clear: it's all for Delta, and private, though people may come in to clean, or leave messages on her desk.
Carp also shows Delta how to use the various bathroom appliances if she needs that help: which taps are hot and cold, how to fill the tub versus the shower, that kind of thing. "You can have a bath if you like, and we'll take measurements and get your ladyship fitted right up with clothes as well."
Carp! She's delighted, and poor Carp has to put up with a few fish jokes before new wonders like lightswitches and shower taps overwhelm her desire to make puns. Carp does have to emphasize a couple of times that the space is all for Delta, given the crowded islands from where she came.
"If I like," she says in response to Carp's words. "If I like? I may never get out of this thing." She trails her fingers through the steaming hot water in the full tub. But, measurements first. When it comes to clothes, she says, "...gussy me up however they do things around here. As long as my rapier stays at hand." Her manner is cheerful and breezy despite Celina's recent tragic tale. Measurements are easily obtained.
Sometime during the measurement process she asks Carp, "So, tell me about yourself. If you're willing -- you're not my entertainment. But my head is spinning, and I want to hear from someone who isn't supposedly related to me, eh?"
While she's taking measurements for the sheath and belt for the rapier, Carp explains the matter of arms before the King to Delta: the King himself doesn't care much in private and doesn't make a fuss about it, but in formal court only those who have the right to wear weapons are permitted to do so. Usually that means a prince, like Random's sons Martin and Garrett, or a knight, like Sir Brennan or Sir Edan.
Carp has no specific idea where Delta fits in the family tree but seems to think the King is Delta's uncle and his sons are her cousins from the way she talks about the court.
"Eh," Delta says, with a shrug to accompany it. "They could break me in half anyway, most likely. Fine." She doesn't give any further guidance about clothing except, "Make it suitable. Just not fancy-fancy. I'm not trying to be anyone's Lady Delta."
"Trousers or skirts?" Carp has to ask. "Some ladies wear trousers and some wear skirts, and some wear divided skirts that look like narrow skirts but are really trousers."
"Skirts. Lots of pockets. I squirrel things away."
As for her own story, it's simple enough: "My family's lived in Amber and worked on the docks for generations. After the Sundering, when there wasn't enough work for the survivors, Princess Folly--she's Prince Martin's wife--helped make sure everyone had enough food to eat and work to do, and she helped her Army of Good Works get people to come here to Xanadu, and because of that I was given a chance to be a page in this castle, and serve you, lady." She's a tween, and clearly has a bit of a crush on this Princess Folly.
"Sundering?" Delta asks when Carp tells her tale. "That, along with 'survivors,' sure doesn't sound too good. Care to tell a stranger what that was?" One side of her mouth curves upward in a wry half-smile. "I'm not from around here."
"Oh, that was back in Amber, during the War." The War is clearly capitalized for Carp: the sort of thing that everyone knows about. "After the Black Road, when the Princes and the Navy and the Rangers and all went away to fight, there was an earthquake in Amber. Part of the castle fell and the city caught fire. People died. And it was already bad because of the war, and fighting in Arden.
"I was a baby then, so I don't remember all of it, but times were hard. And the young royals, Prince Martin and Prince Jerod and Princess Folly and all, they made sure there was enough food and helped rebuild things. Then the Princes, that is to say, the King's brothers and sisters, they all came home, and the war was over." That last is clearly 'and it's all behind us so we don't worry about it'.
Delta listens to the rest carefully, including the respect paid to the 'young royals.' "Ahhh. I'll pester another for the fuller tale. One who wasn't a baby when it all happened." Carp gets a smile. "Thank you for your telling of it. So. Are we finished? I confess, the details of dress and such have never meant much to me. And still don't."
"Ah, no worries, Lady Delta, I think I know what sort of thing you'll like. You're no nonsense, like Lady Hannah." Carp flashes a grin at Delta. "Maybe you saw her? She's the lady with the new baby, with the gorgeous hair. Anyway, we'll get clothes together for you, and a nice scabbard for your blade, and anything else you need."
If there's nothing else Delta has in mind, Carp will take all the things she brought to measure Delta and be on her way.
Carp gets a cheerful wave from Alex as they pass in the hallway. Then: thump thump thump on the door.
"Escape friend! Delta! I found you a BOAT! Anyhow, I found you a place where boats live, I haven't found the actual boat yet, but I don't think they'd call them docks if they didn't have water."
It's been a long day. Long few hours? In truth little time has passed since they woke up in prison, but in that time Delta has been imprisoned, freed, (barely) shot, surrounded by new-found relatives, and passed through magic into a wealthy kingdom where she's apparently a noblewoman. Who could be sort of immortal, eventually. She's heard Queen Celina's tragic tale of lost love, she's been invited to a family dinner by a King...
...and all she can think of to say now is, "Thank all the gods below," with great relief. She grabs for Alex's arm and starts heading down the hallway, if he'll allow it. "Let's find a drink before dinner."
Alex's expression grows distinctly brigher. "Much more like that and we're gonna graduate into escape comrades! So yeah, I asked around, and there's a fancy noble bar but also a lot of bars where --"
Pause, breath, frown.
"Are they calling you Lord Alex too? Or I guess for you it'd be Lady Delta. Anyhow, I think I can find a bar where people won't be all 'oooo.'"
He pulls a face. "I haven't even pulled, god, I can't remember exactly what the King said. We're supposed to pull a sword out a rock but the rock has a pattern on it? Am I mixing things up here?"
Alex, too, appears to be suffering from a surfeit of novel experiences.
Delta stops in the hallway to peer at him. "You talk like someone who's had far too much sun. The King said we had to come to a dinner. Rock? What?" Down the long corridor she spots a page -- she offers a slight wave to try and summon the page in their direction. There's likely time for one more exchange before the servant arrives.
She keeps hold of Alex's arm, and even squeezes it for emphasis. "We don't have time to scour the docks now. We'll make a merry night of it, eh? But I need my drink sooner than that. And you..." She looks him up and down. "You need to sit down."
Alex says, with some disappointment in his tone, "I bet we can make it down and back before dinner. It's -- huh, I'm not actually sure what time it is. Do you know?"
Nonetheless he sits on a convenient object. Might be a chair, might be a gewgaw, whatever's handy.
Alex finds a convenient low table, and sits and/or leans strongly against it. He has to move a vase.
A page approaches and waits for Delta to make eye contact. The girl bows, slightly, but not so formally that Delta has to respond. She is wearing the same general kind of clothing as the other pages, although to Alex's eye, they're more clearly homemade and imperfect. "How may I assist you, My Lady?", she asks.
"Just looking for a quiet room where we can get a couple of drinks and he can ..." Delta glances at the seated/leaning Alex before saying, "...lounge. A chaise or somesuch." She gives the page a rueful smile. "Sorry to grab you from your already set course. If I should be pestering someone else, I can." There's no discomfort in asking for this task to be done, but Delta puts on no airs, either. She hooks her thumbs behind her sword-belt. "Thanks muchly, if you can make it so."
Alex says brightly, "She probably means nap, but I can sleep on pretty much anything."
The page nods. Apparently "Jolly them along" is a prime skill for pages. "We are here to provide for your needs, My Lady. To your left is the Giraffe Room, which has comfortable lounges, or down the corridor is the Lunar Solarium, which has an excellent view over the harbor. If you want something more public, the echo delay room is on the ground floor, but can be... surprising, if one isn't expecting the acoustics. You might also consider the baths, or the scenic overlook on the veranda."
She doesn't seem to have run through her inventory of rooms by any means, but she pauses to let Delta decide.
"I can fetch drinks to any location, Ma'am. What do you wish to drink?"
She has a similarly long inventory of drinkables. Probably.
"Betting there are no actual long-necked animals in the Giraffe Room, but I want to hear the story of the name sometime!"
Alex is about to say something else, but then apparently recalls that it's Delta's call and gives her a quizzical, still slightly disappointed look.
"Giraffe-" Delta pronounces the odd word carefully. "-room it is. And rum. Two glasses. Thank you." She meets Alex's disappointed look with a sudden crossing of her eyes, the sort of thing one might do to make a cross child laugh. She inclines her head toward the page. "Lead on. Though, question." It's aimed more at Alex than the page. "What's a giraffe?"
"I don't know, Ma'am. We think it's the name of the pattern on the walls. All the rooms are named after things that can be felt or heard, because of the Queen." She seems flustered and turns slightly red. "Here it is, My Lady."
She opens a door to a room decorated from floor to ceiling in a brown-and-cream riticulated pattern that, on closer inspection seems to be made of short, soft fur. The room has a window, but not a good view of the harbor. There are a handful of lounge chairs, and small tables nearby for drink. There are a few paintings on the walls that show a large animal with long legs and a long neck and the same pattern as the walls. And on the sideboard, there's a bust of a giraffe head. It's striking, but the colors are off.
"I will return with two glasses and some rum, ma'am," says the page, although she waits for permission to depart.
The giraffe theme is a little overwhelming, honestly.
Alex takes himself over to the walls, and pats them gingerly to find out if they're really fur or just clever trompe-loeil.
One of the frames near the door has a texture, but the paint is painted. It's bright and large, but you have to love giraffe colors and patterns to be truly comfortable here.
"Huh."
Without any particular effort, he uses a convenient hassock to vault to a perch on the back of one of the lounge chairs, and peers owlishly at Delta. "A giraffe is an animal with very long thin legs and a very very long neck. It is taller than I am right now. These paintings are pictures of giraffes. I'm surprised the page didn't know, since there are visual references and all."
He frowns. These rooms need plaques or something, I guess. You could say, 'hey, a giraffe is the animal you see in these pictures, and it will not eat you if you get too close to it.' You should also say that the whole inside-out giraffe theme... giraffes aren't inside out like this, it's kind of weird."
Delta first says, "Thanks, that's all," to the page, to free her from ruminations about inside-out giraffes. With the page perhaps departed, Delta wanders over to the giraffe head and prods one of the knobby protrusions on top. "Odd-looking thing," she says, curiosity clear in her voice. "And made for another Queen, I think. Not the one I met." It's more to herself than to Alex.
With that, she claims her own lounge chair and curls up in it, legs tucked beneath her. "Bizarre day." She rests her cheek against one of the lounge's plush arms. "If it wasn't for how this still hurts-" She points to her side, bandaged beneath her clothes. "-I'd think this was a smoke dream. Too much pipe, you get dreams for days." When she yawns, it's with no polite covering of her mouth. "Tell me about the place you're from?" she says. "Guns and tasers can't be all of it, eh?"
"I dunno about you but if I wake up back in my own bed I wouldn't be toooo surprised. I mostly don't do the kind of drug that makes you dream weird, but who knows? I ache, but that's normal for my line of work. Uh, staged... fights? Do you have prizefighting where you're from?"
He stretches, still balanced on top of the chair.
"I don't even know where to start on my world. We -- well, we have kings, but they're not in charge of anything. It's all ceremony. Lots of people, our big cities have like... five million people?"
If he sounds like he's guessing, it's because he is.
"We have, okay. We have motors, which I guess are like man-made... pack animals? So our ships don't rely on wind? And they go really fast. We have cars, too, like carts. Vroom."
He does this little "go fast" motion with his hand. It begins to seem as if Alex's skills don't lie in educational fields.
"Hey, so -- I was watching all of that stuff with the King. Great, so we're relatives. But he doesn't know anything about us, right? So... I was thinking about the possibilities. Like, what if we were raised by those monks they're all angry at, and we were sitting in those cells as a trick?
"I'd be worried about that if I were him, but they're just leaving us alone. I kind of wanted to go down to the docks just to see if we were being watched or not. I figure either they're watching us, which maybe? Or they just didn't think about that possibility? Or... or he's just so bad-ass that he doesn't have to care if we're some kind of spies?"
Delta sinks further into the chair and stretches her legs so they drape over the other padded arm. She picks the last question first. "He said he just knows." Even in her curled-up position, her shrug is obvious. "This place is magic. I do not doubt what he says in that regard. I do not think they feel any need to fear us-" She smirks. "-babies that we are. We haven't come into our magic yet. But we will." Again with the shrug. "I assume they watch us, somehow. They walk through empty air -- what else might they be able to do?" She doesn't seem at all concerned, at least for the moment.
"And prizefighters, aye, of course. Are you good at it?" Her gaze sweeps up and down Alex's body, just once. "What do you fight with? Trident? Net? Spear?"
"Yeah, no, I'm sure we're relatives. But what if we're, like, evil relatives? He's really casual about the whole thing. Maybe I'll try and poison the soup and see if anyone notices."
Alex glances up at the roof. "I won't try and poison the soup," he says loudly and clearly, just in case there's someone listening.
"Anyway, yeah, I'm really good at it. Just wrestling. But it's staged, so if I go wrestle Big Monsoon Wind, we know who's going to win in advance and we can just tell the story, so it's like theater too, right? The audience doesn't know, that wouldn't be any fun for them. So acting, but acting with a lot of punches thrown in. It's fun."
Delta's brows furrow. "You think them naive, instead of powerful beyond care?" She considers this for a few seconds while he keeps talking. Her lower legs, swung over the chair arm, kick idly back and forth. "It's power to look like you don't care about potential threats. I have a feeling he -- or his closest advisors -- are always on the watch, even if he gets to look casual. But it's as much an assumption as you're making, so...eh. Who can say?"
The page arrives with the squat bottle of rum then, and two glasses. Delta sits up, nods her thanks, and pours for herself and Alex after bidding the page farewell. "Drink," she says. "I've never heard of a playactor who was an arena fighter to boot. To your health, Lord Alex." She smirks as she delivers the title.
"They act more like it's powerful beyond care. I think that's the guess, but it's interesting. Who knows? Did you notice we haven't seen cousin Huon since we got here?"
He takes his rum, toasts, and drinks. "Never, huh? Let me tell you, I bet I could make a lot of money in your world. The thing is, you get to write the story however you want, which is a pretty rare gift when you think about it. Or grift.
"To lords, ladies, escape friends, and whatever comes next!"
She clinks, drinks, echoes "Whatever comes next," and yawns again. She flops back into the lounge, this time curled up with her knees hugged to her chest. She looks surprisingly comfortable, and if yawns are contagious, Alex is going to be yawning a whole bunch. She drinks a bit more before saying, "You want to make coin fighting where I come from, it's not for play. But I could teach you games of chance. If you could school your face to be less vivid, that is. Your face tells all, like a scroll laid flat."
Alex's mention of Huon draws a slight sigh, given Delta's previous conversation with Celina. "I ...don't know how welcome our rescue friend is. Or whose tales to believe. I may know why he was in that prison, I may not? Tales spread without knowing their truth do no one any good, though. A story for another bottle, another time." Yawn. Drink.
"You should get some sleep," she says. "It's why I dragged you to this ...hairy room, eh? Dinner will come soon--" She drifts, and her head droops. She hugs the cup of rum to her chest, given its importance -- but the day has caught up with Delta.
Alex says somewhat indignantly, "It's not like the marks know it's scripted. Well, they do now, but they didn't originally, and part of it is giving them room to take it, uh..."
He blinks and slides down to a more sleep-friendly position. "I dunno, whatever." Yep, those yawns are contagious.
"Anyhow... what's a game of chance? Do people bet on games where you come from? How would that even work?"
His eyes are closed now, drifting off.
Last modified: 21 July 2021