It's still early in the morning, but the backroom of Crossroads, a Lost-only area, is already alive. Ben, an intimidating looking and arrogant ogre in a tailored suit is having coffee and reading the newspaper at one of the tables. By his side, there is a goblinoid creature with a very submissive behavior and, perched on the man's shoulder, a crow with feathers black as the darkest nights and blood red eyes. Around them all, the mantle of Autumn is strong with touches of mystery and occultism.
In walks a Telluric, neither tall nor intimidating, but rather an ethereal example of Fairest Beauty. Nor is she dressed a swell as her besuited Ogre companion! A white tank top hangs from her shoulders, snug fitting. Olive green shorts, rather short shorts, do little to cover her legs, but elastic garter belts are attached to the shorts and hold up some silk stockings. Chunky heeled boots clunk on the floor when she comes in. And there Zephyr stops, her stride broken by the intimidating presence for a moment. "Oh, uh, hello."
Ben lifts his gaze to look at the Telluric. Her etheral presence gets not only the man's attention, but everyones. The man in the suit is the only one to respond to that, though. He grins briefly. It's menacing, but it looks natural instead of being on purpose."Morning, Miss." He says in a calm and cold voice as he gesture to an empty chair across the table in a gentleman way."Would you like to join us?"
The goblin is finally noticed and given a nod. "If I'm not interrupting, certainly," Zephyr answers. She recovers from the bout of sudden intimidation, turning on a bright smile from star-dusted lips and walks over to join Ben. Since he's being so gentlemanly, she doesn't sit but rather waits beside a chair for someone to seat her. "I'm Zephyr," she introduces herself, even holding out a delicately fingered hand.
The goblinoid creature, looking totally mesmerized by the presence of the woman, is the one that hurries to seat her at the table. The ogre, aware of that, stands up and takes the Fairest hand with his own to kiss it instead of shake it. His lips are soft and his kiss, gentle and warm. His touch, though, doesn't have the same body temperature. It has, actually, the same temperature at any other object in the room.
"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Zephyr. I'm Benedict Utridge, member of the Magi of the Gilded Thorn and Custodian of the Fate's Harvest Freehold." He says upon releasing the petit girl's hand and waiting until she's properly seat to sit too.
The hand that Ben kisses looks to have thinner skin than the rest of Zephyr, as if it belongs to someone older. "Zephyr McTaggert, Adjudicator of the Wheel, general member of Fate's Harvest. Pleasure is mine, Mr. Utridge." There's some quirk of amusement at the corners of her lips. "You're the second Utrdige I've met this week," she explains it before taking a seat that the goblin so obligingly offers.
Ben sits and crosses one leg over the other, joins his hands and lands them over his lap. He's intimidating, arrongant looking, but above all, very classy. A classy ogre."Since you're saying that so calmly, I bet you met Olivia." He offers. The goblinoid creature now hurries back clumsily/cutely to half-hide behind Ben and continues staring at the Fairest with awe. The bird, though, is watching the door with its head tilted to the side totally ignoring the presence of the other Lost.
"No, he called himself Quinn," Zephyr answers, knees together beneath the table as if she were used to sitting in skirts or dresses. "Should I take from your words that meetings with your family are all likely to take my breath and stir my heart as seeing you has?" She tries to make that sound more romantic than the deserved 'holy fuck you look mean' that was probably the cause.
Ben arches a brow lightly."Quinn. I see." It's all he offers about his family member before retrieving his mug of coffee and sipping from it briefly."So. Miss McTaggert, what does bring you here this lovely morning? Do you want something? Maybe coffee?"
"Is there tea?" Zephyr asks. "I've never been back here to know what's kept fresh. Coffee otherwise." She gives another smile to the goblin, assuming the creature is the one that's going to be bringing her a drink. "I kept to myself so much through the winter, and then spent the spring getting my shop ready. It seemed time to be social."
Upon hearing the Fairest would accept tea, the small creature grins widely and nods before turning around and rushing to the buffet table. He's quick with his task and comes back with a tea cup over a tea saurcer. When he stands still close to the Fairest, too close, actually, he lifts the tea with that same huge smile. Ben, in the other hand, doesn't move, but grins when he sees the way the servant reacts."I think he likes you, Miss McTaggert."
"Thank you, darling," Zephyr says to the goblin, taking the tea and saucer and holding them, one each in either hand. "Does he have a name?" she asks. "Or...?" A careful sip of tea is taken, watching Ben with open, mismatched eyes over the rim of the cup.
"His name is Gruagach. But I assume he'll not mind if you call him Gru." Ben says calmly as he looks at the goblinoid servant that continues staring at the Fairest very closely."He's not very good at personal space and things like that, I must say. In case it bothers you." The ogre adds a moment later.
"Now I'm not sure if being eaten by a Gru is a naughty experience or a canibalistic one," Zephyr muses, puckering her lips in a brief moment of thought. Her brow unfurrows and she shrugs. "So," she changes the subject, "How did you come by your companion? He seems quite taken with you." Given where he hides behind the ogre and all.
"I purchased him at a Market in the Deep Hedge in an attempt to save him. I didn't know a thing about contracts back at that time. It happened that he was bond to me instead. The years passed and now we're like this." Ben explains calmly as he gaze falls upon the little creature and grins. The gaze is met with puppi-esque eyes staring back at Ben."Most people think he's my Slave, though, and call me things."
Zephyr shrugs again. "I'm not judging. He doesn't seem too resentful over whatever his situation is." She takes another sip from her tea. "None of us come back from where we were with entirely normal views of life, do we?" she asks. "So, tell me about this place. What would you recommend a newcomer to the area experience?"
Ben nods sagely but the change on topics."Well. This city has everything to everyone, in some scale or another. We have trails for the hikers, we have a shooting range for the firearms lovers. We have good gyms and great fairgrounds. But my favorite still is this humble place over here. It has the best coffee in town. And is run by the Winter Court so you have privacy as a must." He says and grins."What would be your interestes and hobbies, Miss Taggert?
"You would think that as someone who moved here from Seattle I'd be all about the coffee," Zephyr muses, "but I was never the biggest fan. Hiking, though..." Zeph takes another drink of the tea and then places the cup on the saucer, the saucer on the table. She crosses her legs at the knee, folding her hands in her lap while giving the scary Utridge another look. "Music," she answers. "I have an interest in music. I've been dancing at a club here... which I have to admit I did not expect to find in a town this size. Are there live show venues?"
Ben grins at the mention of Zephir's interests."There is a place about live music and dancing. It's name has something to do with Green and is run by one of our personel. The name is Franklyn. You should talk to her. It's also a music school, I guess." He then pauses for a moment."Sorry. Music is really not my thing and I don't use to track it down around the city."
"The Green Door theater? I do some of the costuming work for the theatrical performances," Zephyr answers. "I did not know she was connected to your family though. You're influence is quite pervasive in the area." The smile shows she means nothing untoward with that comment. "What are your interests?"
Ben grins and shakes his head calmly."No. I meant Franklyn is part of our people. Not my family." He explains himself."My interests? There not exactly as mundane as yours. No offense. The occult as a whole. The Hedge and its denizens. Magic, more specifically, pledges. And, of course, my family. They're nice people if you give them a try."
"I would have to argue," Zephyr answers, "that music is hardly mundane just because a normal person can do it. It can move someone to great heights or reduce them to tears. That's pretty magical." She takes a moment, just a heartbeat or three, before asking, "What do you do to keep yourself grounded, or do you?"
Ben tenses very lightly to that last question as if that was a delicate matter to him."I'm working on that, actually. I got a job at my family hotel. And I'm spending more time with them." He comments briefly and gives the other lost a smile. This one, though, is weak and doesn't reach his eyes.
"I mean no offense, but I found that to be the problem to having only the more occult matters as a hobby. I started down a road I did not care to complete and had to find a way back. Music helped with that. I'm sure your family will help with yours." Her smile, in contrast, is quite warm and genuine.
"Thank you very much, Miss Taggert." Ben offers before sipping briefly from his coffee."So. What is that you play? If you play at all? I know there are special abilities, that can be purchased at the Market, that grants a musician great powers over the audience. And I'm not talking about Contracts."
"I make music boxes," Zephyr answers before retrieving her tea. "I'm not much of one for performing for an audience, but I'll craft things of clockwork, or garments for others who are. A treasured music box can be a welcome respite. One that plays on its own an interesting shiver. So it's that kind of music that I perform, via proxy if you will."
That bit of information makes Ben's wicked yellow eyes to sparkle with excitement."Would you be interested in taking a commision, Miss Taggert? It'd be for June, 23. A wedding gift, more precisely." He asks before offering a real smile this time. No menancilyness. Just a pure smile.
"Of course, Mr. Utridge. Most of my work is through commission. What would you like?" Zephyr does pull out her phone and take a quick look at the calendar, seeing how much time she has. "If you have a decent idea of what you're after, I should be able to complete it by the 22nd, if it's not too complicated. If you want something more enchanted... that might be a bit of a tall order in the amount of time." She taps up a note app on the phone and looks back at him, expectantly, ready to record his requirements.
"As you may had noticed, I may be a little bit out of the ground. So, tell me. What would you give to the husband and wife to be? They're both just as lost as you and I are. The husband is, maybe, even a little more lost than I am, actually. So, anything hedgespun? Maybe a gewgaw? It'd have to be meaningful, I know. But I don't recall anything particular right now." Ben explains briefly looking really interested in the gift and the wedding.
[To be continued...]
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