Ruminations on a Monster

Log Info

• Title: Ruminations on a Monster

• Emitter: Ravenstongue

• Characters: Ravenstongue, Telamon

• Place: Ravenstongue and Telamon's house

• Summary: The pixies are experimenting with singing, but it seems Lily is having trouble hitting the high notes. Still disturbed by what he saw in Ylvaliel, Telamon comes outside to chat with the pixies while Cor'lana takes a nap. The discussion of marriage helps prod his spirits back up again, and soon Cor'lana joins them as Lily declares her proud intent to write questionable literature about the couple.

Lupecyll-Atlon home, evening.

It's a quiet Korday night, where the stars and Eluna have been struck from the sky by the darkest of marks and the deepest of shadows. It's certainly colder than the summer nights were, and it's the sort of chill that usually sends people out for warm drinks while bundled up in hats, scarves, and gloves.

But that doesn't deter two pixies in the Lupecyll-Atlon garden. Mirabilis holds a tiny conductor's baton, and she clears her throat. "Okay, Lily," she tells her pixie-sister, "you /have/ to be on key this time. You hit the note three run-throughs ago."

"I could only manage it once!" Lily complains. "If I try it again, I might actually just lose my voice! And that will be the WORST thing that could POSSIBLY happen."

Mirabilis just stares at Lily-of-the-Valley for a moment. "Right," she says. "You know what? Bois. Swap parts with Lily."

Bois, in mantis-form, blinks his bug-eyes. "But, umm... Isn't my part percussion?"

"Yes, and Lily is perfectly capable of what mortals call 'beat-boxing'," Mirabilis says with a groan. "Don't ask me how I know..."

This is interrupted by Lily-of-the-Valley suddenly dropping a beat. And then she stops to declare, "YO--"

"None of that," Mirabilis snaps, and she just sighs, holding her pixie head in her hands. "Forget the whole operation. We can figure out another tribute to Lady and Lord Lupecyll before the night of their wedding."

Bois just shrugs and slinks off, going to find nocturnal insects that might eat Telamon's tomatoes. This leaves the two pixies suddenly and awkwardly hanging out mid-air in the garden, trying to figure out what to do next.

It's at this juncture that Telamon steps outside. Dressed casually, in light shoes, trousers, and a tunic, his outfit almost seems unsuited for the coolness of the evening. While Lana naps, he's happy to step out and enjoy the night air, though the heavy clouds block the moon and stars. Still... he knows they're there.

Not noticing the pixies initially, he walks over to inspect the garden, heaving a soft sigh. "Well, it was fun, but I guess next spring I'll get to enjoy replanting all over again," he says to himself. Brushing back his platinum locks, he looks around, glancing back at the door before sitting down next to the garden, reaching up to rub his temples, his features troubled.

Both the pixies turn their attention toward Telamon as he steps outside and murmurs to himself. They both look at each other with worried expressions. "We should console the Lord-to-be," Mirabilis says, softly.

"Yes, of course, but /let me/ do the talking, Mirabilis," Lily-of-the-Valley whispers back to her pixie-sister. "Except for when that cool logic of yours is needed. You're good at that."

The compliment actually puts a smile on Mirabilis's face, and the two pixies flit over to Telamon. Lily-of-the-Valley clears her throat. "Greetings, Lord Lupecyll-to-be!" she says cheerfully. "Is something the matter? Wedding nerves, perhaps?"

"It's perfectly sensible to be nervous," Mirabilis adds. "It is a momentous occasion in your life, after all."

Telamon doesn't quite jump, but he does look up suddenly. "Wha-- oh, Lily, Mira." He smiles a bit guardedly, before sitting back in the chair. "No, I think the wedding nerves are supposed to come a little further on. Father told me he paced nonstop before his ceremony. Almost wore out a rug."

He chuckles, drawing strength from the memory, before his face sobers again. "No, while I'm nervous, I'm also... eager? Anticipating? Not sure if I'm getting across how I feel, but I assure you there are no cold feet here." Tel rubs his cheek. "No, it's something... I looked into a few days ago, when I went on that little trip to the Mythwood. And it haunts me a little bit."

Both Mirabilis and Lily-of-the-Valley look at each other for a moment again as Telamon mentions the Mythwood visit. "You visited the... entity that harmed Lady Lupecyll, I take it?" Mirabilis asks at first.

Lily-of-the-Valley starts throwing fists around. "Let me at him! LET. ME. AT. HIM. I may be tiny, but I can poke him full of holes! Death by ten thousand cuts! No, a million! Anything for Lady Lupecyll!"

Mirabilis actually nods at that notion, crossing her arms across her chest. "We... sort of heard about it through the grapevine," she explains. "The conversation you had about it with the Lady, that is."

Telamon shakes his head, and grins at Lily and Mira. "He's not an 'entity'." He actually chuckles. "He's a vicious little mortal shit who's damned lucky to be in the most secure cell in Ea." Tel takes a deep breath, lacing his fingers behind his head and stretching a bit. "I think what's bothering me is... I've commented before on 'twisted reflections'. It's why Glorenacil offended me so -- because I was unconsciously comparing him to my father, and he did not measure up. At all."

"So it is with this... creature," he continues. "I can't help but wonder -- where did he go wrong? Is there something I need to watch out for, some failing that could lead me down the same path? Logically," he taps his head, "I know it's bunk. I am -nothing- like him, save having pointed ears. But emotionally..." He taps his chest over his heart. "You can see why he disturbed me so."

Mirabilis shakes her head a little, smiling at least to hear Telamon chuckle. "I referred to him as such," she says, "because I like mortals--and I do not like him. But all of that is understandable. You fear what could be. You see the end result of people who have lost their ways and have gone down dark roads to become the darkest of mortalkind."

Lily-of-the-Valley looks rapidly between her pixie-sister and Telamon for a moment. "Woah, Mirabilis the healer," she murmurs in awe. "Hey, wait, shouldn't he be like, in a temple or something?"

"Not all healing is done in temples, Lily," Mirabilis says before she looks back to Telamon. The smile remains on her face. "He reminds you, to a degree, of yourself, and that's obviously frightening. But you have far more than just yourself, Lord Lupecyll. You have a loving wife-to-be, loving parents, loving cousins, and loving friends--all of whom would certainly notice if you started to fall into darker paths. Take heart in that at least."

Telamon sighs. "You are, of course, correct. I... would be happier if he was -not- still intact, but evidently the Mythwood inquisitors want him kept around because of Ainasse's involvement. Politics." He shrugs. "Can't get away from it some days. But yes... I've been very fortunate, to find happiness and love. And to have friends and family."

His lips curl faintly. "We escorted Lady Nuala back to the Mythwood as part of the trip, you know. Her mother was very happy to see her. Did my heart a world of good, even if we had to say good bye -- for now."

A huff comes from both pixies. "Yeah, if that had happened back in Quelynos in one of the Courts, I think both he and that lady would have been dead by now," Lily-of-the-Valley says. "Granted, it /really/ depends on what Court it happened in..."

Mirabilis just looks at Lily-of-the-Valley with a bit of a smirk. "Lily, we're talking about the Feathered One's beloved child," she says. "If it happened in Quelynos, Lord Alud'rigan would have torn him apart and do the same to anyone who got in his way."

Lily-of-the-Valley shrugs. "Fair enough!" she says, before she looks intrigued at the topic of Lady Nuala. "Oh, that was the swan maiden, right? I doubt Lady Nuala will want to come back anytime soon, but maybe if you go back into the Mythwood with Lady Lupecyll..."

Her words are interrupted by the sound of the door from the house opening. Cor'lana steps outside, dressed in a knee-length nightgown and an open silk robe that covers it. She yawns a little and smiles as she looks at Telamon. "Looks like no stargazing tonight," she says, a little apologetically--as though she's in charge of the night sky.

Telamon shakes his head. "There's always good and bad in the world. I was happy to show Lady Nuala some of the good, for a change." He snorts. "Remember what I said about 'secure cell'? I had to give testimony to those inquisitors, and I told them if they didn't ward the cell, Grandfather was going to kill that low-life." Tel's expression is wry. "Not that I blame him."

When Lana steps outside, Tel immediately turns toward her, his sober expression lightening into a smile. "Still a bracing evening though, love. Did you have a good nap?" He rises, and goes to her, wrapping his arms around her in a hug.

Cor'lana returns the hug, curling her arms around him just the same as she briefly puts herself underneath Telamon's chin for the happy spot, and then finishes it off with a kiss to the chin, as she's started to do as of late. "It was nice," she says, "but I was wondering where you'd wandered off to when I got up."

She looks over at the pixies and smiles at them. Lily-of-the-Valley, of course, is bright-eyed and letting out a little "awwwwww" as she witnesses her favorite pair of lovers mid-embrace. "And you two are alright?" she asks. "I thought I heard singing earlier when I settled down for my nap."

"Oh, well, you know," Lily-of-the-Valley says, fanning herself with her hand as she tries to pass herself off as a refined opera singer. "I have my talents, too, besides writing stories about my favorite sorcerers!"

Telamon is happy to tuck Lana into her happy spot, nuzzling her before replying. "Well, I wasn't going to go out. But it didn't seem too cold, even with the skies being overcast, so I decided to come out here and look around a bit. Then I found the pixies doing... well, pixie things..." He offers an apologetic smile. "And we chatted a bit, which was good for everyone involved."

Lily's comment about 'stories' though, makes Tel's eyes narrow ever so slightly. "Stories. Lily, what have you been up to? Are you submitting stories to the Crimson Pen?" He pauses, then adds, "Again?"

Cor'lana pouts a little at Telamon as he mentions the temperature. "It's... Well, it is kind of chilly, although I know you don't feel it like I do," she adds with a laugh. "Not that I'll force you to come back inside the house right away. It's nice to be out at night."

She adds a little, smiling to herself, "The cold kind of reminds me of Grandfather's house."

Lily-of-the-Valley, meanwhile, shakes her head profusely. "NO! Uh, I mean. I haven't been /submitting/ stories. I've just been working on... things. Writing things. With lots of kissing and embraces and--"

She stops mid-sentence, her dark eyes lighting up a little. "Which you are doing RIGHT NOW. Albeit under a dark and starless sky, which means in my story, Lady Lupecyll would say, 'Oh my darling, it appears all the stars have come to hide within your eyes this night!' and then Lord Lupecyll would put his arms around her and say, 'I can think of other things to hide this night, my--'"

The rest of Lily-of-the-Valley's words are interrupted by a sharp screech as Mirabilis seizes her by a pointed ear and begins to drag her away. "That's it, you're going to pixie prison," she announces. "Have a good evening, Lady and Lord Lupecyll."

"Prison?! FOR WHAT? HELP," Lily-of-the-Valley protests.

"Crimes against art," Mirabilis replies, and the pixies disappear into a bush where they continue to squabble.

Telamon hms. "Well, you do have this nice fiance to keep you warm." He rather neatly makes sure Lana is all cuddled up against him, protected from the chill. "At some point, I'd like to visit Grandfather again. I know he appreciates it, and ... it makes a good respite from the perils of the world."

At Lily's proud declaration, Tel just kind of stares at her, torn between being dumbfounded and being appalled. All he can do is watch as Mira grabs Lily by the ear and drags her off, before finally speaking.

"You know, when I set out to Alexandria, a year ago, I'm pretty sure I didn't expect one of the things to happen would be 'pixie writing smut about me'." He looks at Lana with a slightly weak grin. "Um. Well, at least it keeps her out of trouble?"

"I'd love to visit him again, too," Cor'lana says, snuggling into Telamon's warmth. It's true. He is a warm fiance. "But maybe after the wedding? I imagine he's all sorts of busy right now preparing for the big day on his end. I have scarcely felt him in the conduit, at least, when I occasionally poke and prod there to see if I still have his gifts."

Then she looks up at Telamon with a snicker. "Well, you know, I didn't expect getting married to a handsome man who understands and empathizes for everything I've ever gone through when I came to Alexandria, either," she says. "Life is... shockingly kind like that, sometimes, after such sorrows. I'm glad I came here."

And she raises herself to Telamon's chin again to kiss it. "And I'm glad I met you."

Telamon hmms. "You have a point. He's probably got his hands full, arranging to actually 'be' here and on time -- what with the travel involved." He chuckles. "I've heard the fey really don't grasp time, except for those that live here on Ea. It must be annoying to him to realize 'I must be here on this specific date'."

He brushes his nose against hers playfully, and smiles. "I want it to be worth it for you. Everything you've gone through, leading up to becoming my wife." He strokes her cheek. "It sometimes stuns me that we found each other. And I'm so glad that we did."

Cor'lana grins and chases the nose-brush down with a peck on the lips. "He'll make it on time," she says, "and we'll be married. I don't think he'd miss it for the world--knowing him, he's probably got a system figured out to make sure he's there on time. And... Don't worry about making it worthwhile. You already do--every single day, every single hour, every moment, every second. Even the ones where we're apart, I still think of you and my heart feels full."

She squeezes him a little bit. "Although... We still haven't figured out where the honeymoon is going to be, huh," she realizes, and her face flushes crimson. "Unless you went and took care of that when you were in the Mythwood, too."

Telamon seems to relax a bit, a weight sliding off him, and he gives Lana a squeeze in return. "He's definitely intent on making sure we're both at the altar with him when the time comes. The pixies asked if I had wedding jitters earlier, and... no. I expect I'll develop nerves on the big day, but that's nothing new. I think every groom's had that problem."

He actually colors a bit at her heartfelt response, and smiles down at her. "You sure know what to say to someone, darling. Though I would like to note I feel the same -- that the world is just -right- with you and I together."

At the mention of the honeymoon, Tel's eyes twinkle. "Weeeeell... there is this nice cottage just outside of Marniar'nir. The owner rents it to newlyweds, and father did him a favor a while back. I simply... requested the use of it, for the usual fee." He grins. "It's far enough out that we won't bother anyone, but if we feel the need to head into town, we can do so."

"Just don't be so jittery that you run off on me and break my heart," Cor'lana says playfully, leaning in and reaching up to brush his nose with hers as he did earlier. "Nervous, fine. I think we both will be. I'll try and refrain from any ridiculous demands like brides can be known to do on their wedding days, but I think once the ceremony is done, I'll be able to relax."

She grins as Telamon does, in fact, confirm there is a honeymoon cottage in their future. "I love how many people you and your family know," she says. "It sure makes life a lot... simpler. Refreshingly so. Speaking of which, I think Addy's father wants to have a family get-together at some point before the meeting. Addy is trying to get him to agree to a date where we can all meet up and sit down together. He's a busy man, apparently, as is Luthel, but it looks like there might be hope to meet..."

She grimaces. "Nevermind. If I mention it, Lily might get too excited."

Telamon nods. "Like I told the pixies, father almost walked a hole in a rug pacing before his own ceremony. And that was -father-. I guess I'll... probably do the same or something." He laughs quietly. "Oh yes please, don't start going crazy. Everything will be fine, just don't start changing things at the last minute."

He shrugs with an innocent smile. "Well, father and I did travel a bit before I came here. There is something to be said for being well-traveled. Having a friend here and there can make things a little easier -- and if nothing else, you always have someone to talk to."

His brow crinkles at Lana's grimace. "Oh boy. What DID Addy tell you? Never mind, why don't we go inside first, so you can tell me away from prying ears." He turns with Cor'lana, his arm around her shoulders, as they turn to the door.

There's a defeated little whine from the bush where Lily-of-the-Valley is being kept pixie-prisoner, followed by a sharp "Shhh!" In a different life, Mirabilis would have made a fine librarian.

Cor'lana snickers as she walks with Telamon to the door. "Yes," she says, "that's probably for the best. You were doing a good job at staving off the cold, but my legs are beginning to get cold."

Once inside the house, she says, "There might be hope to meet one of the 'best romance writers' in Alexandria. I asked Addy about the Crimson Pen, however, and she said he's actually never written for the Pen--the 'color nickname' that Luthel referred to actually refers to the fact one of his pen names uses 'Green' for a last name. It didn't ring a bell with me, but Addy says he's at least regarded favorably in the literary world."

He manages to keep from snickering at the frustrated sound coming from the bush, but then they're slipping back indoors. Once away from the chill, Tel leans against the kitchen counter to listen to Lana's tale.

He rubs his chin. "Well, it's a mark in his favor that he's not writing Crimson Pen novels. I mean, surely they can't be -worse-." He looks thoughtful at the name of 'Green', but then shakes his head. "Doesn't ring a bell. At least I'll be going into this with no preconceptions or anything."

"That's sort of what I was thinking, too," Cor'lana says as she curls up close to Telamon by the kitchen counter again. "No preconceived notions, so we go in with an open mind. I expect him to be a nice man. Addy says he's a great father, at least, so I have no reason to suspect otherwise."

It's at that moment that Pothy also emerges from the study, although he doesn't fly out. Instead, he tip-taps on the floor, walking out like a child wandering out of his bedroom. "Is it kitchen snack time for Telamon and I?" he asks, finally taking flight to join Telamon and Cor'lana in the kitchen.

Cor'lana pouts at Pothy's carefully chosen phrasing. "You're serious about not letting me have any snacks, huh."

"Of course I am," Pothy says. "You need to be able to fit into your dress, and the only danger of you gaining any size is on your waistline."

Cor'lana just rolls her eyes. "Thanks Pothy," she says, although she smiles. "Thankfully, tea won't make me gain weight. I'll put the kettle on if you want a cup, Tel."

And so evening tea and snacks are had. Or, well, tea is had.