Breakfast of Champions

The family dining room is laid out with a lavish buffet. The promised migas are in fact available, as is a wide variety of other food: fruits, breads, meats, and exotic delicacies from outshadow. The fine china and crystal have been set out for the family's use. It's almost as if it were the old days of Oberon's kingship, or Eric's, where luxuries were commonplace and hardship almost unknown.

You have your choice of eating at the dining room table, or more casually in the sitting room next door. Both of them are designed to accommodate the family approximately as currently configured, so there should be enough seating either way.

Random is serving a plate for Gerard, when people start to come in.

Who sits where, and with whom? Feel free to start your conversations.

[Vialle will take the time to summon Solace and the kids on the way over, so they will also be present. Robin's player is in Canada on business for the next several days or so, so don't worry about her.]

Jerod comes in with Cambina and notes the changes in the food and such, lifting an eyebrow slightly but not saying anything. He offers to collect something for Cambina if she wishes and collects a plate of a variety of items for himself, collecting various new items to try them.

A question to the GMs...the out-shadow items that are there - is there an abundance of these that would make it unusual? Since Amber's been under restricted trade for a bit of time, would the quantity and type of food being offered here be unusual enough to make Jerod wonder how it got here all of a sudden? (like living in North America in the 11th century and having someone show up with a crate of oranges from Italy).

If this is the case, then after collecting his food, but before sitting down (Jerod will sit wherever Random is located instead of shouting across another room), Jerod will ask Random. "I'm curious your majesty...um...Uncle..." he says, "Where did all this come from?"

If this is not the case, ignore the above question...:)

[GMs]
No, it's more like the best that was in the Castle was pulled out for Random's return.

Continuing his job as escort, Conner brings Vialle to the buffet and describes what is there to her and fixes a plate according to her wishes. He then escorts her to the seat next to the King.

By the time Conner and Vialle arrive, Random has finished filling Gerard's plate and Gerard has pushed aside the chair to the left of the end of the table where he normally sat, displacing it to the empty space where his wheelchair would have been.

On seeing Vialle come in with Conner, Random, who has just moved the chair to his putative spot at the end of the table, moves to intercept them. To Conner, he says, "Good to see you again. Thanks for escorting my wife down."

To Vialle, he says, "You've outdone yourself. What would you like for breakfast?"

And he smoothly takes Vialle off Conner's hands and dishes up a plate for her before seating her at his right, in the place of honor.

Conner then obtains his own breakfast and sits in the main dining room inviting Brita to sit next to him.

Jerod gets his choice of next to Vialle or Gerard (cause Blake posted first) and Conner gets the other side, if he wants it.

Jerod sits next to Vialle. He's not sure whether Gerard's kids want to sit next to their father so he's not going to interrupt there, and given that Martin is a bit on the edgy side, it might be wise to put some buffer in between.

Conner sits on the other side of Random getting a front row seat for what comes next.

He sits on the far side of Gerard, then. (Gerard is to Random's right)

That's fine with Conner. He gives Gerard a good morning smile and settles in, content to quietly eat his breakfast until storytime begins.

Folly arrives with Paige a few minutes behind the rest of her cousins, having stopped by her room to drop off her stack of scribblings. She fixes herself a plate of migas and fruit, then heads for the sitting room, where she sits on the floor and plays with Hope. She doesn't seek out conversation with any of her other cousins, but she'll chat pleasantly with whoever sits near her.

Brita will get a small plate of fruit (she already ate in Arden) and will sit down next to Conner. "Folly went into the sitting room. Do we want to eat in there?"

Since none of his cousins acknowledged his faux faux pas and are probably avoiding eye contact with him at the moment, Reid takes the next obvious step, sitting at the "grown-up" table with Random and Gerard. He collects a small plate of food before joining them. As he sits down he introduces himself.

"Reid, rightful heir to the throne of Amber. You must be the new king." He extends his hand and smiles broadly knowing both that Gerard will be uncomfortable with the way this conversation has started and that Random will recognize the humorous motivations behind it.

Solange, who had filled her plate and was going to look for Martin, grabs a seat at the grownups' table to see how her dad and Random deal with THIS one.

Solange will miss Martin, then, for he quietly fills his plate with food, retires to the other room, and sits in a window seat, looking for all the world like a caged bird as he manages the simple mechanics of spearing food with his fork, putting it in his mouth, chewing, and swallowing.

Vere has put a small sampling of a variety of foods on his plate, and follows Solange and sits across the table from her. He eats slowly, appearing to be paying attention to nothing but his food.

Ossian avoids the migas, but picks up some lighter food, and will try to sit at the dinner table. "Ah. Am I so lucky, that that chair next to you is still not occupied?" he asks Solange. [OOC: It should be if I have understood things correctly]

"Have a seat," Solange says, rather more cheerfully than she might have earlier, because she's had her first cup of coffee already.

Random grabs Reid's arm by the wrist and pumps it vigorously. "That's me, but the job's not all it's cracked up to be. You, my Eldest Nephew, are in the Top Five of 'things I didn't expect this week'."

Reid takes the closest available seat. "If I made the Top Five, it must have been a slow week."

"It was! It seemed like years.

"Can I see that piece of paper you were doodling on earlier?"

"Certainly. I suspect it's far from complete, but I believe it's an accurate map of the folks currently in residence. I've taken the liberty of adding Robin and Conner in, as they're our latest finds." Reid passes him the sheet, still folded and frayed around the edges. Opening it with all the food on the table would disrupt things too much.

In a continuing effort to lighten the mood at the grown-ups table, Reid offers a few jokes...

"How many princes of Amber does it take to screw in a lightbulb?" "None. Castle Amber doesn't have electricity."

"What's the difference between a prince of Amber and a horn player?" "The horn player probably has a gig."

"What's the difference between the King of Amber and a trampoline?" "You take your shoes off before you jump on a trampoline." Reid takes a quick glance at Folly's feet.

If Reid is doing the glancing while Folly is in the buffet line, she's wearing Chinese-style silk slippers. If he's looking into the other room after she's settled down to play with Hope, she has kicked off her shoes and is barefoot. Whether she's unshod-with-intent-to-jump is left as an exercise to the reader. ;)

Reid invites Random to add any he's heard.

[Reid]
"I'm sure you've got questions for us, and we've got questions for you, and they'll all be sorted out eventually, but I gotta ask, is Dworkin still around? Other than uncle Benedict I think he's the only other person I still know from the old days..."

After people manage to figure out their respective seating positions (and the usual sundry items like food, drinks, etc), Jerod will ask Random. "You mentioned that we were successful in the battle, and that Uncle Caine had returned and killed Brand, but that Deirdre died with him. I'm curious as to how Brand was killed, and more importantly why the reports of Uncle Caine's death were greatly exaggerated." Jerod has just a bit of a smile on his face when he says this.

"Dworkin was last seen driving a hearse out a rather nasty rainstorm along the Black Road in the direction of a citadel of Chaos. I suspect he'll turn up again. Benedict and his kids, grandkids, and etc. should be back, if they survive the funeral. Um..."

"Brand died by plunging into the Abyss...we called it the Abyss...Anyway it was Abyssal... Brand was shot and wounded first.

"Were you at Caine's funeral, Jerod? Caine was. He faked his own death so that he could investigate the problems going on. Probably smart, because if he'd disappeared without leaving a corpse he would have been a suspect in some of the things that he did..."

Random looks around and, finding a large silver serving platter, clears it off unceremoniously and spreads out the chart on the back of it, in his lap.

He pulls a pencil from behind his own ear.

"Wow, so we can really do that here... OK, Now Benedict had a great-granddaughter, Dara, she's not coming back. She had a kid, Merlin, whose father is your Uncle Corwin. He gets double the Oberonity." Random pencils in a box for each of them. He uses light, quick strokes.

"Aisling...fits down the Benedict line somewhere, too. And Lilly, who is his daughter. She's got the sword moves, so those of you who take those things seriously should pay attention to her. That's the Benedict half of the Grand Army of the Black Road's force.

"Next is Marius, Deirdre's son. He was in the Navy. You probably knew him, Gerard, Conner."

Gerard nods.

"Robin here has two brothers. One of them rides a flying, flame breathing dragon that I think could give Morgenstern a run for his money." Two boxes go on the chart, slightly below Robin's.

Brita, sitting next to Conner, perks up at this news. She nudges Conner, "Robin has _two_ brothers! She's outdone me on that score."

Conner chuckles. "Doesn't surprise me really. Surprise siblings all around it seems."

"Brennan is Brand's son. He cut out pretty young. He's working with Caine."

Random looks at the crown over his name, and fails to resist temptation. A few deft circles and lines and the crown is a jester's cap.

Jerod watches curiously as Random goes about his additions to the chart but says nothing, just eating his breakfast and watching for the moment.

"Nice of you to join me in the Cool Kids' Room," Folly says quietly.

Martin looks up. "Hm? Oh, yeah. He's gonna give the genealogy lecture in a minute, and I already got that. I'm kind of extraneous right now."

"Extraneous? Nah," Folly says. "We're providing a valuable service. We're the Out, y'know? 'Great, Vere, I'd love to read these fifteen pounds of reports RIGHT NOW, but I need to go check on those slackers in the next room.'" She smiles, but she looks more tired and freaked-out than happy.

"Anything good in the genealogy lecture?" she asks, although what she really means is, _I don't have to go back in there yet, do I?_

"Nothing you can't get later."

Folly nods. She falls into an uneasy silence, punctuated now and then with the sorts of things one says when the only person paying attention is a two-year-old: "Come here, sweetie, and let me get the juice off your chin," and "Careful, pumpkin, the eggs are hot," and "Don't you think your danish looks a little like your grandmother?"

Paige has joined Folly and the kids after making herself a small plate of the migos and some of the fruits. "Anything but fish," she comments softly when one of the servants asks if she'd like anything else.

[There are no servants in the dining or sitting rooms right now. This occasion is family-only.]

She sits on the floor and nibbles, but doesn't eat too much, nor try to strike up a conversation with anyone other than the kids, apparently speaking the same dialect of Thari as Folly's reverted to... "Here honey, try this," and "Well, I suppose it does look a bit like a unicorn, love." Eventually it devolves to some cooing and later giggles as Phillipe grabs handfuls of her silk dress with his butter covered fingers.

When Hope has grown tired of playing with her food, Folly sets their plates aside and begins singing a lilting melody, a children's tune, cheerful but also calming:

Mommy and Daddy sit at the table
Looking very fashionable
Reid, with paint upon his fingers
Breaks the ice with all his zingers
Ossian sketches in his books
All of our bewildered looks
Vere is calm and dignified
And ever at his father's side
If you listen close, you can hear the sound
Of better days a'comin' 'round

Brita in her coat of red
Guards the wood where the beasties tread
Conner is her brother true
Who always has a smile for you
Paige has got a loving heart
And pours it all into her art
Solange knows how to get things done
But she is still a lot of fun
Put your ear to the ground
And listen to the sound
Of better days a'comin' 'round

Robin roams the forest green
Marking the arc of the path unseen
Cambina holds an unmarked deck
And answers to its eldritch beck
Jerod would quarrel with even the wind
But we know he is still our friend
Martin's extra-cross today,
But that's OK, we love him anyway
So turn around
Put your ear to the ground
And listen to the sound
Of better days a'comin' 'round

But why are we all gathered here
To mark the morn in such good cheer?
We sing for Random, the new-made king,
Who wears that pretty, shiny thing.
Vialle is sitting by his side
With more than just a little pride
And Folly sings this silly song
So Phillipe and Hope can sing along
We all bend down
And turn around
Put our ears to the ground
And listen to the sound
Of better days a'comin' 'round.

Folly, at least, seems to be in a better mood by the time the song is done. She even acts out the last chorus with Hope, so that by the end they are both bent over with their ears pressed to the rug, laughing at how silly they look.

Paige laughs with them, her smile genuine and for Folly perhaps more than Hope. She seems to be following bits of the conversation in the next room, but not hanging on anyone's words.

Folly and Paige can tell that Martin is aware of both the song and the conversation in the other room, but he's not responding to either. Even the silly antics of Folly and Hope can't seem to rouse him from the mood that has him by the throat.

Lucas will try to connive a spot near Martin.

The sitting room is uncrowded, so Lucas has no trouble finding a couch near Martin's window seat. The breeze blowing in the window is mildly inconvenient, but otherwise the seating is fine.

Solace also comes into the sitting room to keep an eye on Philippe and Hope, not that Folly and Paige really don't have the situation well under control.

Lucas and Solace arrive just in time to catch the end of Folly's song, which Solace finds highly amusing.

Folly glances at Martin with a concerned, "We'll talk soon, OK?" look on her face.

Martin gives an almost imperceptible nod.

Then she turns to Solace. "G'morning, love," she says cheerfully. "I'm glad you could make it. Your daughter has been kind enough to keep me company in my foolishness. Really, I shouldn't be allowed in public at this hour." This seems to be her way of explaining why she's not at the table in the other room.

Solace replies cheerfully, "They're a handful, my darlings." Hope toddles over to her mother and puts her arms around Solace's legs. "Mama?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Folly funny." Hope giggles.

"Yes, she is, darling."

Folly grins.

To Lucas, Folly adds, "Have you gawked at the new monarch yet? I hear it's all the rage."

"Yes, all the fashionable men and women will be gawking at him. Men will need to wear tabards or similar clothing in order to hide their excitement."

Folly's grin gets bigger, and she seems ready with a retort, but she decides against it at the last minute -- out of concern for Martin's reaction, Lucas thinks.

Now it's Solace who's giggling. "All of my darlings are a handful!"

Solace will come sit on a couch near Folly. Her plate is filled with fruits and breads; she seems to have skipped the migas.

"So," Folly says once Solace has gotten settled, "you've lived in Amber a lot longer than I have, and under more than one ruler. How d'ya think her citizens are gonna take the news -- I mean, not just that there's a new ruler, but which one it is?"

Solace looks up at Lucas, perhaps in an attempt to get his opinion before speaking, and says, "I don't really know, Folly. For me it never really mattered. That was something that Papa always worried about, not a concern for Mama and me. Unless he had an eligible son --" and she looks at Folly, then back at Martin.

Folly waits 'til Solace is looking the other way before she rolls her eyes.

"Lucas," Solace says quickly, "you have a lot of friends in the city. What do you think?"

"There's a variety of opinions out there, but I think in general it will take some time to get used to. Random had a colorful reputation for some time, and so some people might not immediately think of Random as the kingly type."

"What do you think your friends in the docksides will think, Folly?" Solace's follow-up is almost immediate. Her face is turned towards Folly so Martin can't see it, and she looks mildly desperate. Like 'hurry up and help me change the subject'.

Folly hesitates for just a second, searching for a safe topic that Solace would feel comfortable talking about. Then, "I'm optimistic they'll see it as a good thing," she says, and she gives Solace an 'I get it' smile. "I'd worried that the rest of the family would come home and undo all the good work we've done, but now I don't think they will. I'm glad; the school, in particular, is doing remarkably well, and I really want to see it continue.

"You know, it occurs to me that Hope is just a couple of years away from being ready for a tutor herself. Have you given much thought to her education yet?"

"Lucas is looking into tutoring for Hope already," says Solace, and looks at her husband.

Lucas makes a face which is meant to convey "so much for telling the truth nicely". "Yes, I have high aspirations for Hope's education."

"Well, I hope you'll consider including some music lessons," Folly says. "I know you're not into music the way some of us are, Lucas, but your daughter has an ear for it, and she really seems to like it."

[Yes, I know the casting of Hope was motivated primarily by the dearth of recognizable two-year-olds; but you picked Shirley Temple, so I find myself assuming she will sing, dance, be adorable, and grow up to be a diplomat.... ;) ]

"A King that doesn't take himself seriously. Will wonders never cease." Conner smiles. "So how shall we announce the one two three punch of Brand's dead, so is Oberon, by the way Random is King now, to the masses? A traditional coronation with all the trimmings would be best of course to soothe the nobles and whatnot."

"Once we get everyone back from wherever." Jerod says, finishing the remainder of his breakfast. "It would be better if we had the uncles and aunts, and the army, back home before we upset everyone's life with this news. While I'm sure many will rejoice at having a King again, we can sure there are going to be problems. You can just bet someone's going to come along and ask why things aren't back to normal all of a sudden."

"And I suppose explaining that the ruling family of immortal superheroes couldn't find the instruction manual for repairing the universe isn't going to fly, is it?" Solange comments. "By the way, what counts as a traditional coronation with all the trimmings? It's not as if we have a ton of past ones to copy."

"Nestor?" Jerod asks, taking a drink.

"No but we do have quite a few in the Golden Circle to use as an example." Conner replies.

"Don't a lot of those use their local religions, though?" Solange asks. "We haven't got that."

"Some yes some no." Conner replies. "But since our people don't have a religion they won't be expecting that part. So we can skip it." He smiles. "Basically a large public showing where it is proclaimed the Random is in charge and all of the family appears to agree should be all we require. That and a big party afterward of course. But as Jerod pointed point I'm getting ahead of myself making party plans when the family is still in Chaos and many mysteries still need to be cleared up."

[Conner]
"All we have to do is make it big and impressive and regal and everyone should be happy enough."

Solange nods.

"Except the participants of course who would much rather be doing something more fun." Conner smiles.

Solange looks at her uncle to see how he's reacting. Also at her dad.

"I don't know if a traditional...hm...Golden Circle coronation would be very good. That depends on how our King is going to rule. A formal, pompous coronation will create certain expectations among the people." Ossian smiles mischievously, "with all due respect, Your Majesty, at least up to now you don't seem like the formal, stiff and grandiose king type. Maybe the coronation ceremony should reflect that."

Jerod looks over at Random to guage his reaction to this comment, mostly cause he's wondering how much damage control he's going to be dealing with before he can pass off his work to one of the Elders.

Brita screws up her face as an odd thought passes through her brain. "So you're saying we should have some kind of ubangie for King Random?" At the blank looks, Brita continues. "You know, where everyone piles on top of the chosen victim and kindof bounces up and down in one massive pile?" More blank looks. "We used to do that for special occasions in Asgard - birthdays, bachelor or bachelorette parties, that kind of thing..... Okay. I'll just go back to eating now. Don't mind me..." Brita squishes down in her seat (hard to do with a 6' 2" frame) and wonders if she can gracefully exit to the sitting room.

Ossian looks slightly disgusted. "Well, not exactly. Maybe just something...different."

Vialle's attention is intent on Random, to see what his reaction to all the suggestions is.

"Yes, the ubangie idea sounds eminently suitable. However, there are over a million inhabitants of the greater city of Amber, and it might be difficult for all of them to participate." Random drops the faux pomposity and waggles his eyebrows at Brita. "We'll have to put on a coronation, otherwise half of 'em won't believe it. Plus it will give the busybodies something to arrange while they're getting over the shock."

Gerard says, "You can't do it until the rest of the family is home, you know."

Random replies, "That's the other thing we'll do while they're setting it up."

Gerard asks, "D'ye have any ideas on how we're going to do that yet?"

Random replies, "Good question! Who's got a plan?"

Gerard starts to say something else, and Random adds, "We'll put you on the committee then." More seriously, "I managed to Trump back, but I had help. I couldn't open a portal for everybody. Otherwise, I would have done it already."

Paige has wandered back toward the buffet to procure herself some coffee and offers, "I have Trumps for my father and Aunt Fiona. Perhaps with several of us we can attempt something like that on both ends."

Vere clears his throat, then says somewhat diffidently, "While a coronation ceremony to officially affirm Your Majesty's ascension should wait for the entire Family, I am certain that none of us believe that Your Majesty's return can be kept secret until then. There is no more efficient means of transmitting information than gossip, and by now the entire Castle, with the possible exception of Fathom, know that the King has returned and been acknowledged by the Regent. Within a few hours that information will have spread as rumor throughout the City, and by early afternoon we will have Ambassadors and Nobles up here, offended that they were not notified personally before hearing about this from their staffs. By late afternoon, if not earlier, the broadsheets will carry the story, and tonight it will be the main topic of conversation in the taverns, and even the sailors from the Land of Peace will have heard of it, along with a wide variety of speculations on what this will mean for Amber's future." He returns his full attention to his breakfast.

"Well said." Conner nods. "Do you suggest we do something about that?" Conner grins.

"It is the King's decision, of course," Vere replies, "And a major consideration must be the relationship that His Majesty wishes to maintain with his Nobles, his People, and the Ambassadors of other Shadows. Beginnings shape future developments. For what it is worth, I suggest a strong beginning."

Reid's thoughts turn to, "But who could we publicly execute on short notice?"

Solange looks at him, not sure whether to stare in shock or glare in disgust.

"That was a joke, right?" she says.

Vere shrugs slightly. "However, I am by no means an expert on the niceties of ruling, and I strongly suspect there are many undercurrents of the current situation of which I remain unaware."

"It would be rather showy and impressive if the King coordinated bringing back the main body of the troops right before the coorination or such, but perhaps too contrived." Paige looks thoughtful. "If those dragons stay in the air, a fly by would sufficenty awe the masses and remind GC reps that while we're not back to where we were, we still wield considerable might."

Jerod has a slightly amused expression but says nothing at the moment, looking over at Random to see what the King has to say concerning the plans, and the return of the people.

"The Golden Circle's the least of our problems if we're about to house a corps of dragons," says Gerard, and Random, still watching Reid, nods again.

"Wouldn't that depend on what the dragons like to eat?" Solange asks. "What do they eat, anyway?"

"One might wish to consider just how much food these things will eat. We may wish to have them elsewhere for the time being." Jerod says, an indication that he's already considered the impact of what having dragons (and the army returning) will have on the current economy.

"But dragons flying around the castle; can you imagine, what a sight!" Ossian says dreamingly.

"Yes I can." Jerod says with a smile. "I can also imagine the riot that could ensue given that the last time we have flying creatures in Amber we were being invaded. I think we can avoid that part if we're careful."

"We tell the people that I'm here today. This morning. I don't want every soldier's wife on the castle doorstep, asking if she should be getting a widow's pension. Probably a big public appearance tonight. We'll declare tomorrow a public holiday: Holy Crap, the Universe is Still Here Day, or something.

"There will be a lot of people who want to see me, to do everything from getting their daughters married to...you all to asking me to have you all horsewhipped. I'm not in favor of either of those plans, not today, anyway.

"That's a relief," Solange says. "Imagine the headaches in property law if you decided to marry someone's daughter to me!"

"I think we need to have a big show with everyone back, because we need to make it absolutely clear that things have changed. While the economic boon that the launderer's guild would get from a close flyover by a score of flying dragons is tempting, I am in favor of reducing the number of foreign troops in Amber in general. Darling, would you like to arrange the coronation?"

Vialle beams. "Of course, dear," she says. [OOC: everybody drink...]

"It also sounds like we've got some economic problems. Who wants to fill me in on them, and what do you all think will happen when we add a few armies?"

"I think you'd better ask my brother," Solange says. "He's the report-giving fiend around here. I'm supposed to have a degree in economics, but the situation here isn't acting the way I'd expect from my textbooks. Even all the deficit spending we did to keep people fed and sheltered after the Sundering, and the big drop in Crown income because we only had a fraction of our usual trade, shouldn't make things look the way they do now. It's weird."

Jerod nods once or twice, apparently quite satisfied with the new King's decision making (both the actual decisions as well as the way they were delivered).

"Hey Vere...you bring your notes with you on the current economic situation?" Jerod asks. "You could field this one pretty well."

"Has Uncle Gerard told you that we have no shadow paths?" Jerod asks

Vere nods fractionally. "We have assembled a complete analysis of the current economic situation, which I will make available to Your Highness as soon as breakfast is over. Many of the Family have more training in economics than I do, of course, and their opinions should be sought as well. A very abbreviated explanation is that the economy continues to collapse for no apparent reason, and there is a continuing decrease in the total of wealth throughout the city although there is no sign of hoarding and nowhere that the wealth could logically be going." He pauses for a second, glances briefly at Jerod and Gerard, and then continues, "There is a belief by some members of the Family that this is tied to an apparently unexplained decrease in population, and a vague theory that people and wealth are somehow draining away into Shadow. It remains a theory, however."

"So what do we have to do to get everyone else back in time for the party?" Solange asks with optimism.

"What about a trump chain?" Jerod asks. "Put people out into shadow at various stages close or far from Amber, use them as linkages in the chain to pull people through."

Reid arches his eyebrow at Jerod's suggestion before turning to Random. "Who's strongest with trump at the other end, Fiona?" As he says this he shuffles her card out from his deck. Those close enough to see will notice it's in his own hand and not a family deck.

Assuming an affirmative from Random, Reid attempts to make contact with Fi.

Random nods, and Reid attempts the contact. The card is cold, and Reid can feel the potential in the card, the way he did before the Sundering. The initial, normal effort is not sufficient to make contact.

[Reid]
What about initial super effort? Nothing normal here, this is a long distance call to the Courts of Chaos...

Nothing from immediate super effort, either. Does Reid want to hold out for a longer super effort?

"Before we try something else I'd like to give it a try too" Ossian says. "If Reid doesn't succeed, that is."

"Otherwise we should send someone halfway to Chaos. To Ygg?, and try to Trump both ways from there."

"Do we have a Trump of Ygg somewhere?

"Actually," Brita interuppts as she pulls out another card of Fiona - one of her own. "I would suggest all three of us trying to establish contact, either off the same card or all off different cards. Do you think that would help, Master Reid?"

Paige produces her own Trump of Aunt Fiona, "I'm in too, but extended efforts aren't my forte..."

"I tend to think that one trump would work better, rather than distract from different directions. But I agree that perhaps multiple people focusing on the same trump may help. I'd recommend starting with one other person, perhaps His Highness, helping out, so that there will be a familiar face. Then Gerard, then cousins. But let's add them one at a time. I don't want to overwhelm the old girl..."

Random shrugs. "The good news is you won't overwhelm her. The bad news is that you won't because you can't reach her from here. If she was just deep in shadow, then maybe, but they can't be far from the Courts of Chaos and they're beyond the point where you can walk shadows and still stay sane. I was in a good position to get back and I had the bauble of kingliness to help me. But I don't think it'll help. It's a lot easier from the outside reaching in..."

He runs his fingers through his hair and turns to Ossian. "Tell me about this Ygg. I haven't heard of the shadow. Why would it be suitable?"

Jerod leans forward a bit, curious as to the reply.

"Brand mentioned in passing something about a tree called Ygg that was supposed to be some kind of half-way point between Amber and Chaos."

"A half way point?" Conner chuckles. "A odd way to describe interacting infinities. Mother often theorized there would have to be a place in Shadow were the influence of the Pattern was exactly cancelled out by other forces leaving a neutral shadow. Sounds like this Ygg might be it. In any case, Trumping from a place with more similar comditions to where she is should be more effective." Conner turns to Random. "Perhaps a more exact description of you got here would be in order. What was this good spot you Trumped from? And if the Jewel was needed to boost the signal, I suspect we'll need it to get them back as well. Of course they could all just shadow walk back I presume. Or does something prevent that?"

"How far have you walked into shadow? The Courts of Chaos are beyond the place where the shadows go mad. We were at a place they call the Fixed Place, which is like an island," says Random, and you can all hear the capital letters. "I don't think they can shadow walk back, but they've got at least two locals with them, plus Bleys and Fi. Benedict seemed confident that they could get somewhere solid enough to put up a portal, and close enough to do the Trump without the bauble here. Maybe this Ygg is it. I don't think we could have a coronation without my brothers and sisters anyway. We'd just have to have another one after they came back."

"Can anyone describe this Ygg?" Jerod asks. "I've gone a fair ways into shadow, and I know I can find my way back through some strange shit. Maybe I could find this place?"

"It's a tree of some kind. Probably very strange, I should say. But it seems, no one here present has been there" Ossian says with a shrug. "I certainly haven't."