2023.06.28 On The Topic of Faeries and Dragons...
| 22023.06.28 On The Topic of Faeries and Dragons... | |
|---|---|
| Sark invites Alicia to lunch and a discussion is had.. | |
| IC Date | 06.28.23 |
| Players | Sark, Alicia |
| Location | Lost in Time Market - Rêves Errant |
| Spheres | Changeling Bygone |
Its the middle of the week! Which probably means there aren't AS MANY kinain and kithain wandering around the Dreaming - sadly, some folks DO have to work. So that means Sark has a whole table to himself at the tavern, where, for the moment, he's merely nursing a mug of JJ's mead and looking like he's been taking the entire day casually. Tshirt, jeans, and the usual barefoot, feet swinging beneath him while he perches on the bench.
Alicia strides into the tavern, her cloak billowing behind her. Her cloak always billows in a way that makes her walking seem majestic. She's actually in a relaxed mood, just looking for a place to relax and enjoy some good food. She spots Sark and gives him a little salute.
Sark perks up at the entrance of someone new, much like he does at the Witches Brew, and grins brightly, waving at Alicia enthusiastically. He does wait until she's a little closer to clear his throat and offer, "Hihi. Are you on official duty or can I buy you lunch? THe day has been pretty quiet so far...not that Im trying to jinx things or anything."
"I am on a, what do the humans call it? A personal day." Alicia says with a grin. "The day is all mine, so far as no emergency comes up. So, Monsieur Dragon, I would be happy for you to buy me lunch."
Sark's smile seems to light up a little more when she accepts the invitation, and guestures to the entire rest of the empty table, inviting her to either sit beside him or across the table from him, "Order whatever you like. And really, please, just Sark. Being called 'Mister Dragon' is like one of the elder drakes calling me 'Hatchling' instead. MY only title, people can't use in public without questions being raised, so Sark is good." He gives her a moment to approach and potentially settle before asking, "So everything is good for the trip in November? I know I left rather abruptly during our conversation the day before."
"Everything is good for the trip. We're all set. Totally set," Alicia says with a reassuring look. Then she goes to order a club sandwich. "You know, I don't remember much about the last time I was here, but the food has come a long way. All the spices! All the flavors. And Sandwiches. This is a genius way to eat food, and a wonderful combination of flavors." The Sidhe slides into a seat with Sark. "And you know I am going to ask your title, right?"
Sark actually claps a little when she says the trip is all good to go, cheering a little under his breath before calming down. When she talks about the food, he takes a moment to add an order of a big steak sandwich for himself and a refill of his mead. A small chuckle escapes him when she asks about his title, and scrunches his nose, "My full name is Sarkasian the Gilded, because, well, you know..." He lifts an arm and shakes it a little, showing off the scales that arent really visible at the moment, "When I get older and do something significant, the others will probably bestow something more meaningful to call me, though knowing my luck it wont be something awe inspiring like 'the Wise' or 'the Enduring'. Knwoing my fortune, I'll get known in my old age as Sarkasian the Gaseous."
"A title based on looks? That's not so unusual. In fae circles, I doubt that would raise many eyebrows. I mean, my name means Hunter of Darkness," Sealgaira says. "In a way that could be my title. But it wound up being my name. Are most dragon names and titles bestowed in a similar fashion? Name and something distinctive about them?"
He thinks about that for a moment, then bobs his head, "To be blunt, there aren't that many of us left, so while humans need three names to usually distinguish themselves from each other, we only really need one and a little affectation. Also we are all roughly connected mentally so when you hear a name, it tends to already be vaguely familiar to you, because you heard it in the cloud of subconscious conversations going on while you slept." He pauses, then smiles a little more, "Though...Hunter of Darkness is kinda neat. Kinda implies you're a beacon of light."
The Sidhe nods along with his explanation on names. "So, is Prospect just Dragon Central? Some lay lines or nexus causing dragons to flock here? And I don't know about a beacon of light, but I appreciate it."
Sark scrunches his nose again, "THAT, well, I'm not sure. Relatively speaking, I'm a teenager. Wulfra's even younger than I am and she's spent ALL of her time in the Umbra and Malfeas, so she's had no time to acclimate and her survival instinct is still nonexistent. Cypha is established and has an underwater cave and lair that she doesn't come out of very often, and Stena...well, I still havent figured out Stena. I have my island, so I am specifically not trying to lay claim to any part of the city. As for the Prismatic that rules the freehold in here, well, he's sorta trapped here and cant come out to the Autumn World, so he doesn't really count....just dont tell him I said that. For right now, we seem to be on good terms." He pauses for a moment, "MOST of the time, an ancient settles in and calls an area their turf, and tends to not like transgressors. For example, when we go to Vegas, Im going to have to pay the Ancient a social call to make it clear I and all of you are just visiting and we will be going back to Prospect in a week."
That I understand. Either I or Baroness Mereid will have to pay the local count, or countess-I haven't looked yet-and tell them that we're there visiting. Commoners can probably get away with not, but for nobles, well, it's just polite," Sealgaira explains. "What is Malfeas?"
He nods at the explanation, "If it wouldnt piss them off, I would love to be able to accompany you for that - I promise to be very well behaved. I mean, unless you know they are very anti-dragon." He winks at that and shows a few teeth, "And if you're interested, you could come with Stella and I to meet the Ancient." When she asks about Malfeas, he guestures with one hand, "One of the many planes out there. Malfeas is nasty, sulfuric nightmare realm mostly ruled by Wyrm minions. You DON'T want to go there, not even visit. It WILL scar you mentally, I dont care how strong you are. I think it's to blame for how Wulfra still gets unreasonably confrontational, but Im TRYING to calm her down from that."
"Sounds unpleasant. I will take your word for it. It sounds terrible. And I don't think it should be a problem for you to come along with usto meet the local count, or countess. Usually when Fae are slaying dragons, it's the Chimeric kind, not Bygone Dragons. Chimeric dragons are created from the dreams and fears and stories of what humans think dragons to be, not what they are, like you," Sealgaira says, before munching on her delivered club. "And I would love to meet the ancient."
At the specification between Chimerical and Real he rumbles a little, "I think that would explain some things. I mean, I constantly hear from fae and your relatives that dragons in the Dreaming are monsters, eating people and animals and terrorizing things, and that doesn't sound like MOST of the dragons I know. So if they are formed out of dreams and nightmares, I guess most people are afraid of us, and that kinda becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. Disappointing...also means like the Prismatic is an anomaly. But I hear he plays good chess, so maybe I will try to strike up another conversation with him soon...when he's not grumpy."
"Everything Fae is made of dreams. That's why it's called the dreaming. Everything is in the dreaming. EVERYTHING. The more common the dream, the story, the thought, the stronger that archetype will be. Every monster, every devil, every angel, everything between is in the dreaming. I am the hero. I am the leader. I am the knight in shining armor that slays the monster. Because everyone dreams of a hero coming to save them. I am Fiona. I am born out of passion and love, of bonds unbreakable, of pleasures unbridled," Sealgaira says, proudly. "Other fae are born out of other dreams and beliefs and legends. But that is what I am."
Sark props his head up on his hands, resting his elbows on the table, ignoring that steak sammich and mead for the moment while he listens, smiling a little more, "So people reading Hans Christian Anderson kinda fuel you guys...to oversimplify. So, if you can, I mean, I know I could be asking about secrets you dont wanna share...I've heard of 'Arcadian Sidhe' and 'Autumn Sidhe' and the Autumn Sidhe said something about 'staying here for the Sundering'. I missed something huge in the 1960s while I was asleep because suddenly there were like three times as many of you guys around...."
"People reading him, his dreams writing the stories, the stories that inspired him, and so on. It's deep," Sealgaira elaborates. "As for the Sundering, it was . . . It was a degradation of the dreaming and the physical world. Traveling between the two became difficult, hard, and then impossible. Humanity, as a species grew up and lose the childlike wonder, seeking to explain everything with their science. They started to quantify and qualify anything, and it became harder and harder for us to come into the world. That's what happened back then. We didn't have a human body. We lived in the dreaming and ventured into the world, but always returned home." She pauses to make sure that Sark is still following her.
His brow does furrow a little when she talks about not having a human body and his lips part as if he's going to ask a question, but stops himself when it becomes clear she aint done yet. Instead, he finally picks up his mug and takes a small drink to wet his lips before nodding, "Okay, Im with you so far."
"That was the sundering, when the paths between our home and the world were closing. Remember, back then we were immortal. We're still immortal, just in a different way now, but there were a lot of fae that, for whatever reason, couldn't get back to the Dreaming. Many did, of all kiths. But there were still some stuck here in the world. They became changelings, in the real sense. Dual-souled. Human and fae, merged. The fae would come out for a while and then eventually retreat back behind the human side. Autumn Sidhe are like that, like Kee, or, uh, what other changelings do you know?" Sealgaira asks
He thinks about that for a moment and slowly nods, "Kinda but not the same way we are, it sounds like? When I finally die, I will be reborn as another dragon for a while...a few times. Eventually the Wheel decides I have learned everything I can as a dragon and I will be reincarnated as something else and forget everything I have learned here." When she asks what other changelings he knows, he has to think for a moment, "Well, there's you and Miranda and Peri and Persy and her sister, and Laoise but she had to leave, and Deirdre and Kee and Sebastian and JJ and...I guess Sapphire doesn't really count since she's kin not full fae? IM still working on understanding the whole 'Seelie vs UNseelie' division but I think I have a better grasp on it than I did before."
"There's only one way a Fae can die, and I am not revealing that. And, I need to get to Autumn and Arcadian first and then I will explain Seelie and Unseelie. When the doors shut, some Sidhe were left here, in the world. They undertook the changeling way, a Fae soul attaching itself to human souls to merge. They are Sidhe in every way I am, mostly, but forced by circumstances to make a difficult decision. Arcadian Sidhe like myself, well, when Neil Armstrong stepped foot on the moon, the world exploded in wonder and glamour at that moment, and the Sidhe, only the Sidhe, were able to get back from Arcadia, from the dreaming, to the Autumn world. But it was still the Autumn world. We needed armor, and not plate," Sealgaira says, gesturing to her Sidhe plate. "To keep Banality at bay, which could undo us easily, sending us back to Arcadia, we took human bodies. The soul that was Alicia Hunter, the human, was given a great gift, to go to Arcadia, and I took her body over. It's a magical bargain." This is what Sealgaira believes, at least. The details are not totally clear. "That is what an Arcadian Sidhe is. So far, none of the other kiths than Sidhe have returned to the Autumn world. And only some from certain houses."
He grins a little when she says she'll get to Seelie and Unseele and he murmurs softly, "You don't have to explain EVERYTHING, I promise. I get on Stella's case for having an endless stream of questions for me, so I don't want to be that kinda pest to someone else." He does, however, grow quiet again to listen, tilting his head when she talks about 'taking over' Alicia Hunter, before slowly nodding again, "Maybe the gates have been sealed for so long that only those very magically powerful were able to make their way back?" He doesn't sound like he's looking for an answer...just letting his mind wander on the idea, "And on my trip across the country many many years ago, I was friends with some of the Nunnehi tribes...I suspect they don't have much to do with this division?"
Sealgaira shakes her head. "No, the division was all about humans and the dreaming." Then she shrugs. "No one knows why only the Sidhe came back. Honestly. No matter how I try, the mists hide memories of Arcadia even from me. I can remember things that happened thousands of years ago, with some difficulty, but nothing from Arcadia. Ask 10 fae why we came back from Arcadia, you'll get 13 different answers. I think that something's happening there, in Arcadia, in the dreaming. It is a reflection of the Autumn world, and the world, even after the moon landing is sinking back into Banality. I believe I am here to help fight for the Autumn world, to restore glamour and wonder. And by doing so, save Arcadia." There's sorrow in her voice as she talks about it.
Sark rumbles a little as he listens and takes in a deep breath before nodding slowly in agreement with her, "Its sounds as if we are fighting for the same thing, for ultimately different ends. You want to save Arcadia. I and most of mine just want to save this realm. I'm not sure if Banality hits me the same way you do, but the Autumn World still hurts, like Im constantly surrounded by cold that itches at my scales. Its enough that most of my kind have given up and left for other realms. I want to help humanity change, so whatever you guys work on, if I can help, you will have it."
"They're all connected. It's all connected, can't you see that? Creation is all one thing, and a sickness one place is a sickness another place," Sealgaira says passionately. "Even if the others of your kind have left for other realms, it won't matter. Whatever happens here, will spread to there. Even that Malfeas place will become wrong in an entirely different and horrible way."
He takes in a deep breath and smiles a little, "Maybe that's the thing Im supposed to be here understanding this time around, just how interconnected everything is, and understanding the relationships between the planes and how one affects the other. This is my first time around the Wheel as a drake so I have no previous life knowledge to fall back on, only the information I get from the link." He pauses to clear his throat, "Probably why /I/ ask so many damned questions."
"I am happy to explain my theory of everything to anyone that asks!" The knight says with a grin. "After all, more allies in the battle is something that is always welcome."
A soft 'heh' escapes him, scrunching his nose, "Im not much of a fighter, but I can take a lot of punishment and I can heal just about anything on someone else...and I always seem to have a lot of information I dont remember knowing, on hand. I never know HOW that will end up being helpful, but it is all at your disposal. Just overlook my tendency to swipe shiny bits from time to time."
"As long as you leave my sword and armor along, swipe away, Monsieur Sarkasian the Gilded Dragon," Sealgaira says with a wink. "But that is part of why I am an actress. The stage was always a place of glamour and dreams, and now with modern technology, the stage can be sent to any home, or device."
Sark grins when she uses his full name, and lifts both hands in a classic innocent look, "I promise I wont touch your gear save maybe to pet and admire it. I am a big fan of small trinkets and bits of gold and silver and platinum. If there's a chance it has a story attached to it, like an engraved ring, I'm evem more interested in it." He pauses, and chuckles softly, "And yes, I've seen how you can stop a room when you get naked. The amount of drool was impressive."
"Do you know about House Fiona?" Sealgaira asks.
He scrunches his nose a little and murmurs, "I know there are noble Houses, but I dont know all of their names. I do know that if someone's a member of one, they are usually VERY proud of it, like a badge of honor."
"All Sidhe are of a house. Some commoners, that means Kiths that are not Sidhe, can become a part of the house, and in doing so, stop being commoners. All houses have their own idiom, sayings and such," Sealgaira says. "I am house Fiona. Fiona was our founder. She was born out of love and passion. So we tend towards that path, love, passion, duty, honor, fidelity. Life is only worth living if it's enjoyable. I think that humans would call us hedonists. We're also fearless. It's nigh impossible to cause a Fiona to fear, even if by magic."
A soft chuckle escapes him at that, "So you make very good heroic knights. I see. And your parties sound like they are incredible. I'm...intensely curious to see how well Stella handles herself...or loses it entirely...at Vegas. I would also mention you seem to have much more refinement and class that other hedonists I know. There are a class of Mages called the Cult of Ecstasy who live for hedonism and they are, well, blatant and uncaring."
"That's because we are Sidhe! Everything we do is elegant." Sealgaira laughs. "And we take our passion and pleasure very seriously."
He laughs at that and pauses for a moment, looking like he's trying to hold off making a comment, and instead just grins, "With that said, I am CERTAINLY not missing this orgy. If only to bring popcorn and amuse myself watching."
"No one stays on the sides of a Fiona party. You will get dragged into it," Sealgaira warns, but with mirth and good humor.
His voice rumbles in amusement, his nose scrunching again, "That could make things very interesting, so I suppose we will see how that goes. I know Kee seems to think she can cart Stella off for her own party...pretty sure that isnt going to happen."
"See, we Fiona will take a lover and be devoted to them for life. In fact, our oaths are quite serious. But it's not a monogamous relationship. It's about companionship, togetherness and care." Sealgaira says.
Sark nods slowly at that, "That much, I understand. I have had more than one conversation with Stella about how I am not jealous or possessive about her relationship with Kee, and I believe she has the same understanding with Kee. I am protective of Stella, and as long as she wishes to remain dedicated to this life, I will at times be....greedy...about her, but she is free to step away the moment she feels a cage has been placed about her."
"Your feelings are noted and noble. Kee is possessive in a way that you might not be able to understand. See, Fae take humans as Dreamers. We nurture them, help them dream, take part in their glamour. It's extremely bad form for another fae to get involved in that," Sealgaira explains. "She does recognize her relationship with you, and if Stella didn't have that relationship, she would be . . . her interactions with us would be much more . . . closed."
He smiles a little more and nods, "I...can tell. I listen when Kee talks about dreamers and I watched the interaction between her and Dasia, so I...go out of my way to avoid going into detail about MY relationship with Stella, and I trust her to, well, to be blunt, to keep her mouth shut. If I didnt, she would not be my Handler. She knows she can call on me for help wherever she is, and if she's within a mile, I can hear her."
"I am sure she will not betray your trust. And I am sure Kee will not push her to. As for help, I am sure most fae would be willing to assist. She's proven to be a nice woman, and you a great ally," Sealgaira says. "And if you're worried . . . do you know about Fae oaths?"
He slowly nods again, "I do. I have entered into a couple, so I know the Wyrd will accept me as part of an oath - originally I was not sure that, because of my being part of the fabric of things, if I COULD be bound to an oath, but apparently it works. I trust you all to be what you are. Ive sworn one oath to keep one fae's secret that they do not want shared, and I would consider one if Miranda decides she needs a little loyalty to allow me to continue visiting her territory in the Dreaming, unhindered."
Sealgaira nods. "If you're ever worried about something with Kieran, you can always swear an oath with her. I do not think she would be offended. Oaths are a part of our culture."
He smiles, "She's actually offered, and I told her it was not necessary. We had what she called the 'shovel talk'. Which I am amused now that I understand the context of, but the description is accurate. Should Kee do something to Stella, you will wonder what happened to Kee. YOu will not see her again."
"Oh, I will. Like I said, even if you kill the body, the fae soul will be reborn," Sealgaira says. "Hopefully wiser. It might not be a glamour-bound oath, but a dragon's promise is nothing to ignore."
He bows his head a little at that, "I am hoping a thousand years from now I will still be known for always keeping my word and my promises, without needing the magical force of dreams to make me stick to them. You have all been good friends." With that said, he eyes the sandwich for a moment, and chuckles, "And I forgot all about my lunch, I got so interested in my talk with you."
"Well, I am glad that I am so interesting! But please, don't let me stop you from eating." To accent her point, Sealgaira takes a few bites of her club
Sark laughs and finally DOES pick the sandwich up to take a large bite out of it, rumbling his approval as the inner carnivore approves. When he finally swallows, he murmurs, "So...I've only been awake a year, meaning I've missed an awful lot. How...long...have you actually been this gorgeous Miss Hunter? When does that cohabitation happen? Birth?"
"That will have to wait for another time. I actually need to go. So I will speak to you another day," Sealgaira says
