Log:Autumn Court Meeting: January 2018

Autumn Court Meeting: January 2018
"Are you here to kill me?!"
Participants Aaron, Poppy, Cordy, Kelsey, Marc, Michelle, Waverly, Ashe	2018.01.23 The Autumn Court has their court meeting for January.
Location The Caretakers House
It's almost the end of January so that means it's that time of the month again for the Autumn Court meeting. Ashe has opened up the meeting room for everyone to come in this evening. There's baked goods on the table and hot things to drink. The kitchen is behind her if anyone wants something different. She's seated at the end of the table and is still in Witch King of Angmar dress. So who knows when that is going to end really. Michelle settles in at the end-ish of the table with coffee and a pastry of some sort. She looks tired, dressed in a red sweater and blue jeans with black boots on her feet. "Ashe," she says, with an upnod. Waverly drifts in on time, clad in a smart long coat with her hair pinned up. A tote is slung over her shoulder. She offers a shy smile as she takes a seat. "Good evening." Knocknocknock. Rapid, timid, almost too quiet to hear. Someone's at the front door and knocking rather than just waltzing in. Not too surprising, if the knocker is anything like her knock. Kelsey? Kelsey is also in sweater and jeans, but their sweater isn't red -- the paler end of the dead-leaves range, instead, pale enough to reflect the occasional Mantle-flicker of candlelight from their hair. They blink at the door, then back at Ashe, trying for a moment to sort out whether answering the door is acceptable, someone else's job, or trouble. Possibly they haven't had enough of the coffee they've been nursing. Marc Wright, formerly of the Soundless and currently of Fate's Harvest -- has been here nearly as long as Ashe, and is asleep with his head on his arms on the table, despite the coffee cooling next to him. Scully is petting a lock of his hair and making tiny sad disapproving noises, and both of these behaviors stop when people start coming in because she starts trying to wake him up. Irritably. She buzzes her wings next to his pointy fox ear. "Wake up. Wake up, dummy. There's people. Are you going to be paranoid or are you going to be sociable?" "Paranoid," mumbles Marc, starting to draw his glamour around him to go intangible. "Don't be stupid." "Huh-wha--?" Marc blears awake, and glances around, and right! Right. He's not in the hedge and he's not out in the open and the scariest person who ever dealt with Gentry on behalf of idiots is right there in the room and on his side, and he relaxes and lets go of the glamour; he was asleep, he forgot. He forgot! "Soooociable," he drawls, picking up his coffee cup. "Hi." A beat. Oh. There are more people here than when he fell asleep. "And hi." "Good evening everyone." Ashe states as her hood covered head looks up. She doesn't sound too bad. But she doesn't sound too happy either. Then her head tilts up a little further, "Can someone go get the door? I didn't think anyone needed to be told to stop and knock." she states. Then there's a look over to Marc and Scully, "Paranoia might keep some alive longer." she tells the lady bug. Michelle nods. "I got it." She stands and moves to the door, opening it warily. Kelsey sets their coffee back down reluctantly, and starts to get up, but Michelle's already moving; they resettle, but with an eye on the door past Michelle, and with hands free this time. Paranoia versus sociable: it's not a choice, it's a spectrum. Waverly's long, spindly fingers work at the big black buttons of her coat, undoing them one by one to reveal a silk blouse. She turns her attention to the door. Outside, there's a young woman wearing an awful lot of practical hedgespun, but not -nearly- enough clothes to explain her seeming both warm and dry in the dismal weather. She's clearly a Changeling, from the rabbit ears poking out of the coiled braids atop her head, the forgelight behind her eyes, and the way her boots can't quite hide her digitigrade feet from Changeling eyes. When she speaks, it's with a distinctly asian accent. Japanese for those with the ear to catch it. "Hello. Am I in the right place? I saw the notice in the Wayhouse." "Paranoid intangibility is great sometimes," agrees the tiny ladybug toward Ashe, a lot more respectfully than the first time they spoke, "but not when you want to be drinking coffee and eating donuts with people who don't want to kill you, and you might want that glamour for something else." Marc starts to say something, and then his eyes widen as the door gets got, and he shrinks back in his seat and clutches the coffee to his chest, and Scully SIGHS. Marc blurts out, "Why do you have a kajillion contracts active, are you here to kill me?" "If you're here for the Autumn Court meeting, then yes, this is the right place." Ashe calls out. "Please come in and have a seat." she adds. Then there's a look over at Marc and she just continues to stare at him. The nothingness staring at him, "What is going on now?" she asks. Michelle stares at Cordy. "You're in the right place, but--" Marc beats her to the question. Well, the first question. The second bit makes her give him side-eye--or, at least, where he had been sitting. She rubs her face. "Come in, Cordy. We met at Alchemy, remember? I was the singer practicing." She leads Cordy back to the table and... well... kind of facepalms a little as she sits. More like buries her face in her hands. Then she downs some coffee and gets more. Waverly arches an eyebrow, but she just raises her hand and gives a little wave to Cordy. "Good evening. Do you think that's everyone who's coming, now?" "Hi," Kelsey says to the arriving rabbit, bright as a Spring. "There's coffee. Or tea, if you'd rather." Apparently at this point he just takes Marc in stride. "What?!" Cordy darts into the room and shuts the door, hissing under her breath as she turns back around, the room safely closed to the outside world again. "No! I do not want to hurt you, or anyone else! You already met me! We met Feck the bird and learned of the Marshket!" She lets out a slow, shaky breath, ears rigid and quivering above her head. "-Please- do not accuse me of conspiracy to commit murder in front of open doors, Mister Marc, -or- talk about my contracts." She holds up her wrist- thrusts it up, more like- and starts poking the charms on her bracelet. "Fire. Water. Air. Ice. Lightning. Rocks. Soil. Metal. Sand. Light. Darkness. They agree not to hurt me unless someone makes them. That is all! I am not here to hurt anybody! I just-" Her ears wilt slowly as she loses steam, her timidity rising violently to the forefront. "... I wanted to meet my court." Her eyes flit dejectedly to Michelle, and she offers a half-hearted smile. "Yes. I remember you now. I am sorry. I- was... distracted." Kelsey's chipper greeting pulls her attention next, and she waves weakly in return. "Thank you. I will have tea. I can get it myself." Her voice is so goddamn small. One person speaking normally could talk over her with no trouble. Her eyes flit to Ashe, who seems to be in charge, and asks, "Am I in trouble?" Apparently Marc remembers Ashe being angrily unimpressed with him, because he shrinks back in his chair far enough to start accidentally pushing through it, overcompensates, and spills coffee on his regrettable tie, even as Cordy's panicking and pleading. "Sorry," he whispers, putting his coffee down and going tangible once more, grabbing for a napkin to start drying off his tie. "Sorry." More normal voice. Scully's fluttered away from him as if to say 'I don't know this guy.' "I know. I just... it was possible you found out more about me and-- sorry. Shutting up." "I would hope this is all for the time being." the Magister of Nightmares states. Ashe's hand reaches up to slide under the hood that's draped under her face and she pinches the bridge of her nose for a moment. After that she just looks about the room. Waiting for people to settle down. "No, you're not in trouble." she tells Cordy. Then there's a look to the others. "Those sworn to the Freehold, we have two positions that are available. With Byron having left, Ranger of the Thorns is open. As is Ashen Notary." she states. "Non Freehold positions that are open are Legate of Mists and Fool of First Frost." she adds. "Anyone interested in those, please see me." she tells them. Michelle settles back in and watches the group, looking bemused. She sips her coffee, black as night and sweet as sin, as she stares at everyone. Then she jumps a little and looks at Ashe. "Byron left?" She sounds very, very sorry to hear this bit of news--for the Freehold, yes, but more for Ashe personally. Cordy is reassured to be told in no uncertain terms she isn't in trouble, and moves to get her tea arranged. She takes her time, but once that's done, she moves to join the others, sitting someplace she won't have to be shoulder to shoulder with anybody else while she listens and nurses her tea. Waverly inclines her head and clasps her hands in front of her, resting them on the tabletop. "While I have met Ashe, I'm afraid the rest of you are strangers to me. I am Waverly West, a Sage of the Unknown Reaches. Well met." There's the click of heels in the hallway, perhaps familiar to some, perhaps less so to others, then Poppy steps into the room; the siren's still wearing her wool trench, although it's unbuttoned, and is running a hand through her hair, settling it in place as she tucks her hat into a pocket. Beneath the trench she's dressed in a layered shirts, the top one dark red and decorated with seven spindly, black figures, black skinny jeans, and knee-high leather stilettos; a messenger bag is slung over one shoulder, dark grey embroidered with silver fish. She gives Ashe a wry smile and nod of greeting but holds her peace, unceremoniously gliding across the room to settle in next to Michelle. Kelsey bows their candleflame head to Waverly, cordially enough. "Kelsey Williams, of no title," they say. "And recently enough arrived not to be able to lend any weight to any of the open positions. We'll see if any of the others show interest." They glance up at Poppy, then sidelong at Cordy, and show the latter a conspiratorial little smile. "So you're meeting your Court anyhow." Marc's still keeping his mouth shut, and then it's almost like everyone's looking at him-- or feels like it-- or maybe it's just tiny Scully clearing her throat pointedly at him-- but he starts and looks up from his coffee and the fussing with his tie that'll no longer actually wash (in both senses probably) and he takes in a half breath, then lets it out, then says firmly, "I'm Marc Wright, formerly of the Soundless, and the minute they find out I'm not actually dead they'll come for me, so please don't take it personally if I get... twitchy." Oh. That explains a lot. Cordy nods a little in Marc's direction, and glances between the others as introductions begin. Poppy's arrival earns a little wave and a tiny smile, and in a moment of quiet, Cordy speaks up. "I am Cordy. That is... the only name of substance I have. I have no titles, but I own A Token Of Favor. It is in the Wild Roses Market. I can make Hedgespun, and I sell Tokens as well. If you need either, I am happy to help." Ashe settles back in her seat as she watches people introduce themselves to each other and then there's a look back to the room around them when there's a lull in conversation and she nods, "Byron has decided that time away was needed. It's no big deal." she states. Then she takes a drink of her coffee. After that she's looking to a notebook in front of her, "Secondly, I wanted to update everyone on the Beast That Haunts. I've been working to translate the second chapter that we gathered and I should have something more on it soon." she states. Michelle smiles around, patiently. "Michelle Hawthorne, of no title." She waves to those she knows, inclines her head to the rest. Poppy gets a shoulder-lean briefly. Then she grins crookedly. "Can we get down to business to defeat the Huns?" she murmurs, making a bad Disney joke. She'll talk to Ashe later about personal stuff, she obviously thinks as she looks at the Witch-King persona. She beams when Ashe gets to business and settles down, going quiet. Kelsey half-lifts a hand. "We have a bunch of new-to-the-area here," they say. "Self included. Could someone who's been around explain what the Beast That Haunts is?" Waverly bobs her head. Once for every introduction, and one for Poppy as she arrives. And another for Kelsey, in agreement. Her faintly glowing eyes flick toward Ashe. "That would be appreciated, yes." Poppy gives Marc a rather sympathetic look at his comment about Soundless, and nods pleasantly at anybody who looks her way, but seems content to skip introducing herself for the time being. At Ashe's comment about the Beast that Haunts, however, she says, "For those of us who missed the first act and are completely fucking clueless, is there someone we can talk to about just what the hell that is?" "Twitchy is good," comes a hushed voice from down the hall. "It means that you're afraid. Fear is good." Aaron comes down the hall, one hand tucked slightly behind him, while the other idly plays with a small object of some sort. He flicks the object with one of his spindily fingers and once it slows its rotation, he does it again reflexivly. Accompanying him is Mister Manx, his feline-like hedgebeast; and his spectral twin sister. Once he comes into clear view of the gathered group, he gives a nod of his head. "Sorry I'm running a bit late. Was busy on a personal project and lost track of time..." he says to everyone, though looks at Ashe. He then makes with a quick introduction of himself, "Aaron Fletcher: Speaker for the Dead, Lord Scrivner to our esteemed court, and non-practicing doctor of mental machinations," he gives the last one with a light smile. Aaron loves his alliterations Ashe gives a look up when Aaron enters and there's a nod, but when no one else answers the question of the Beast the woman takes a breath, "The case of the Beast that Haunts is one that Autumn has been working on since early last year. We have in our possession a journal from a dead Courtier and we've been trying to translate and collect the missing pages so that we can learn more about this creature." she explains to them. "Have you found any of the missing pages? Were they taken away from the journal and hidden for some purpose?" Waverly asks, her eyes aglow with curiosity. "... wait, you have an incomplete thing you are trying to repair?" Cordy blinks and looks between the rest of the Autumn Courtiers. "... has anyone attempted to use Contracts of the Lost upon it? The second clause should be sufficient to gather some of the missing pages- presuming they still exist." Aaron goes quiet for a bit, having not had a whole lot of on-hand exposure to the case. When mentioning about pages and translations, he raises a solitary finger to interject briefly. "Are the pages in a foriegn language of the mortal world? I think I might have a tool that can assist in translating, if needed." "No. No one has. The Courtiers have went out and gathered them and worked as a court to get them." Ashe tells Cordy. Then there's a look to Waverly, "Yes, the pages have been gathered. Some have given us clues to where others have been placed." she states. Then there's a look to Aaron and a nod, "If you would like to help that would be fine. Right now I'm on the last few paragraphs so I'll be sending something out over the next week probably." she turns her head to everyone at that. "Does anyone have any business tonight?" she asks. Michelle shakes her head. "I don't have anythnig," she murmurs. "Ah," says Waverly quietly, at the explanation. "Well. Thank you for the update. No, I have no business to report." Kelsey lifts both hands, without the coffee in them, even. "I've been staying out of trouble." Poppy mmms at that explanation of the journal, the sound more of a hum; the siren's expression is otherwise thoughtful, although it doesn't seem she has much to add after the questions already asked, nor does she have anything new to introduce. Cordy lifts a hand. "If you would like. When it is convenient. I could cast the spell to reassemble the book. It may take a few tries, and may not work completely at all, but- I am willing to try, if you like. But... aside from that, no. I have said what little I came to say. I just wanted to meet and be met." "We can try that sometime, yes." Ashe tells Cordy with a nod of her shrouded head. Then there's a look around the table and she opens her hands. That's when Uvall falls down from the ceiling and bat curls into her hands, "This meeting of the Autumn court is closed. Everyone be safe on the way home." she tells them quietly.