Into The Woods (Mint, the Kier)

"Perhaps it will not be so bad to reveal ourselves to our cousin." It seems as though Kierenne might say more, but she does not. After a more appraising look at Mint, the Kier nod to each other and gesture out towards the forest. "So please, lead the way to your Lodge, Uncle. We are eager to put this unpleasantness behind us."

Julian makes a gesture, and two steeds are brought to the twins. Their riders dismount and stand aside.

Kieran Ericspawn wrote:As he hands it over "Since you view it as a weapon, it will be returned to us in the same condition it was entrusted to your care, cousin. As Lord Uncle Julian has said, on his word."

Mint takes the deck reverently. "His word and mine." She replies quietly.

Mint returns to her horse and prepares to follow the Kier to the Lodge.

The Kier mount their steeds, and follow Julian to the Lodge (in turn they are followed by Mint and many other members of Julian's rangers).

Troops quietly but firmly surround the twins, with Mint alongside. Nearby, watching, rides Julian. It takes them close to an hour to reach the Lodge--an hour spent in the most incredibly beautiful forest imaginable. Every shade of green seems to wave around them in each direction. Branches above and to the side make an intricate architecture through which streams of golden light pour through. A smell of grass and moss and rich earth wafts about them.

Finally, the Lodge appears in sight, atop two of three hills in a cluster of such, in between a cleft in high rocks--low mountains. Several waterfalls wind in and around the buildings, which in turn are connected by exquisite bridges of tilting arches and sweeping lines.

But no defensive walls anywhere. Mint knows of course that the troops under Julian's command are enough, that in many ways the vastness of the forest is all the defense the Lodge could possibly need. Arden by now has become part of Prince Julian, and he part of it. No conceivable enemy could enter that wood without his learning of it. Even an invisible one would soon be detected and the forces arrayed within those trees and caves and shadows in fact would prove even more formidable than might be obvious. Benedict had told her a year past that he himself would hesitate attempting to take Arden by force.

The Kier of course don't know any of this, although rumor among those interested confirm that Arden is totally under the sway of Prince Julian. Forays by dangerous forces out of shadow had entered this mighty wood in the past. None had ever emerged, not even in retreat. Who knows what kinds of traps and defensive tricks might be woven into the very fabric of the forest's existence!

But the Lodge itself is beautiful, like an ivory oasis amid oceans of green and brown. Nothing looks less like the fortress of a warrior. It resembled more something from fairy tale, a place of comfort and beauty and grace, at one with its surroundings yet apart from them.

As they approach the Lodge, Kierenne quietly raises the Pattern to mind, and gazes at the forest and the compound through that filter.

What magics are at play, here?

Other than observing, she goes where she is instructed and causes no fuss.

Peering around the lodge, Kieran realizes the familiar body language of his sister.

This should prove interesting.

Move to the place we are directed to. Staying near Kierenne.

The Lodge and its environs radiate different kinds of magic. Pattern is woven into the very walls and beams, into the carpets and glass and tiles. Form and function remain elusive. This is not sorcery. It is as if the entire Lodge were an artifact at least on the order of their masks, possibly even moreso. Kierenne realizes that parts of this building might well do things--what, she has no idea, but the potential vibrates subtly from each square inch. Such a thing must have taken many years, decades, centuries even to craft into whatever it now is--apart from a beautiful small palace at the heart of an even more beautiful forest.

Kierenne follows her guards, dismounting and going where directed. She seems more interesting in the building (and it's intriguing pattern connection) than the lush forests they'd gone through for the past hour. Anything to distract her from the looming thought of having to unmask in front of a stranger, even one who is kin.

And, once she realizes the source of her intensity, there is no other choice than to face her fear. "Come cousin. I would get this inspection past us, so that we may begin to mend the bridge between us." She chuckles quietly. "Ballads suggest that an initial moment of vulnerability can be the catalyst for truly deep love. That is preferable to a look of disgust."

Following, he seems more interested in the family members themselves then the building.

At least until...

His head whipping towards his sister at her seeming cavalier manner.

Nodding. "We should get this over with."

Kieran moves with his sister towards the place where the unmaksing will take place.

"Be honest, cousin.", seeming to let the words slide off his tongue, "We rarely have witnessed true reactions face to face."

Interesting indeed.

"You have a choice, cousins. Speed or certainty? I know the Ineluctable Guarantor of Sequestration. You may spend a gentle hour in meditation while I cast the spell or we may dispense with such preparations. It does seem extremely unlikely that any could or would spy here within Lord Julian's sanctum."

I'm assuming we're inside somewhere at this point, not standing in the clearing with all of the soldiers looking on.

"I choose speed, Cousin. It is merely distasteful; not cause for a blood feud. And our Uncle is only reasonable for asking it. So, let us get it over with."

Suiting action to word, Keirenne reaches for her brother's hood, and helps him out of his coverings. Not only his face is hidden, but every inch of his skin. But this is revealed to Mint, now.

Kieran's skin is pale, almost grey more than alabaster. His hair is dark, and kept short. But what catches the eye immediately is that the skin of his face seems to move in an unusual way. It's almost as though there were things under his skin, moving around on their own. Kierenne caresses her brother's cheek, and the skin seems to rise to her touch. "I swear, his bloodworms could always recognize me. They almost welcome my touch." She continues to remove his wrappings, and the strange motion is visible all over this shoulders and chest, and they continue to respond to Kierenne's gentle caresses.

Then she turns and offers her back to her brother, who likewise helps her strip off the loose wrappings. Where his fingers run, similar motion can be seen on her own skin, though she also shivers his caresses. Clearly afraid of a reaction, but also appearantly also excited by the thought of being displayed thus, she makes eye contact with Mint. "Do you find me beautiful, cousin?"

"Fascinating. I have never seen such a symbiosis." Mint forces herself not to stare. The Kier see unvoiced questions flit across her face and vanish. "Yes cousin, I can see your beauty." She smiles gently. "Although I know that you had little choice, I thank you for honoring me in this way." Mint bows her head slightly and averts her eyes. "I would not prolong your discomfort."

As the mask and robes are removed, Kieran releases a deep sigh as his skin ripples with motion. As her hands move towards the mask and the weight of it is lifted, slight moan escapes him. At her touch to his cheek, he closes his eyes and nestles his head towards her hand, then starts nuzzling at her fingers.

He rolls his shoulders back cracking them as his sister turns. He licks his lips in anticipation.

Slowly, he removes her hood, mask, and lets his hands wander her shoulders before sliding the robe down her back. Kierenne is a match to her brother, the term twin is highly appropriate. Smiling he strokes her neck just below the hairline. You see one of the bloodworms race around her neck towards the hand.

He coos softly "Yes little ones, it's me again. No, no it's not time for that. Not now at least."

He watches Mints face "Be honest cousin. Your trying to hold back your emotions is facsinating, but what does it really make you feel?"

"Most strongly I feel curiosity. I could ask you so many questions. But I hold back out of deference to your privacy. If you expect disgust then I will have to disappoint you. I have traveled in Shadow and not just on the royal road."

Gazing at Mint while still stroking his sister's neck "I merely sought your honest reaction. Disgust or pleasure, I find them both...fascinating."

"Your bloodworms don't discomfort me in the least. I saw far worse than they on my father's vivisection table. I have eaten things more disconcerting than they. If I seem uncomfortable at all, please understand that the Shadow where I spent my youth had a taboo against incest."

"Still don't let my provincial upbringing discomfit you. I hardly set the standards for familial propriety. I could introduce you to cousin Reena who considers inhibitions something that happen to other people."

At first, Kierenne smirks at the idea of trying to eat bloodworms. But when Mint's revulsion is clear, even with an apology, her eyes go cold. She pulls her robes back on and turns away, somehow ashamed of her nakedness. "I don't know what incest is, but I'm sure the bloodworms aren't that."

"So, are you satisfied that our masks hide no nefarious weapons? Or would you like to compare us to carrion some more?" Kierenne turns to her brother. "Did you hear, brother? She has seen and even eaten things more disgusting than we. What a compliment. 'Am I beautiful?' 'You're not the most ugly thing I've seen.' Oh yes, fine."

She doesn't even wait for Mint's reply before storming out of the room, still trying to put her mask on while walking and crying... doing a poor job of all three. She does manage to get into the clearing, mask still not in place, hood still pulled down. And she sees several of Julian's men, only then realizing her state of dress.

She shrieks even louder and reverses her direction to get back indoors. She slams the door behind her and tries to get the mask and hood back on before walking anywhere, but by now the crying is worse and she can't really get the hood on while holding the mask in place with one hand. This continues for nearly a minute, when she just collapses down to the floor holding the mask over her face sobbing. All attempts at returning the clothing to place are given up, but at least the mask is in the right place, even if it's only held there by her hands.

Sensing his twin's mounting distress, Kieran's eyes go flat. Red lines form across his body as the bloodworms sense his rising anger. "Oh, forgive us, we hadn't realized you were going to mock us on top of being rude, and taking our father's last deck."

At Kierenne's wail his right hand flexes instinctively, and coils around a weapon that is not there while the left almost slams the mask into place. Upon realizing his weapon isn't with him, this he snarls at Mint "Are you quite finished, or shall we race unclothed through the shadows to appease your petty ego?", then rushes to the dishelved sobbing mass that is his sister.

Kneeling he embraces his distraught twin, stroking her hair, affixing the mask properly, ignoring his own robes on the ground.

He's whispering soothing words while stroking her hair, her sobbing into his shoulder while he tries to restore her dress.

The word "Crass" and "Barbarian" are barely heard in his litany to ease her suffering.

"By all means dress."

Mint waits patiently to allow the two of them to reconstruct their wardrobe.

"I believe that you have misconstrued me. I suggest that you do not press for an honest reaction in the future unless prepared to receive it. I neither mentioned carrion, nor felt disgust. I will excuse your outburst this once as you come to this land as unfamiliar with my ways as I am with yours. I will own that I have a direct manner of speech, which you may interpret as crass and that I come from a provincial background which you may fairly interpret as barbaric so I will take no offense at those comments. However I draw the line at having my honesty questioned. Kierenne, I called you beautiful. When you deny that I meant that most genuinely then you dishonor me."

Kierenne, once dressed again, avoids eye contact. She thinks back to everything Mint had said... Before the 'walked in shadow' there had been an 'I see your beauty'. Oh, I'm such a fool.

But she can't bring herself to say anything. The memory of her outburst is too fresh. I just want to crawl into a hole and die, now.

Keeping her brother between herself and Mint, she mumbles something unintelligable, then returns out the door to the clearing. Do not think about running out here a moment ago. That never happened. Stay calm.

Mint follows the Kier back into the clearing. She lets them have some distance while maintaining a watchful eye.

If Julian or a designated representative awaits, then she will stand at attention and report. "Inspection complete."