Watchers, Please

For a nightmarish solo!

WHO: Alcott and Pyrrha
WHERE: Empyrean
WHEN: Afternoon

Having spent most of the morning staring at the eggs on his plate, Alcott had finally decided to stop waiting for an answer from the Watchers. It was pathetic of him, really, to have been so indecisive for so long. His father-king would never have resorted to falling on his knees in prayer. His father-king was a man of action. And, the Keeper be damned, so was Alcott. He would live up to the name Cuthwulf. He had penned a quick note to Pyrrha, asking her to meet with him in the courtyard. Chaperoned, of course. He had worded the letter sternly, as he imagined his father would write, leaving no room for refusal. He had hesitated at the closing line, however. He intended to write: "Please meet me and save me the trouble of having to chase you down." Instead, he had written the more diplomatic: "I hope you will grace me with your acceptance of my offer to meet and converse. To make up for last time. Your servant, Alcott." He'd sent it with one of his men with the explicit orders to make sure they delivered it to Pyrrha herself and no one else. And to make sure she read it and did not simply throw it in the fire.

( Afraid to have a love affair. )

Who: Emilia and Arwen
When: Evening
Where: Arwen's room at the inn

The word quickly circulating the city was that Prince Alcott would be leaving soon. Arwen couldn't help but be a little sad that she hadn't seen him more. He was one of her best friends, and even if he had not confided in her, she knew he was going through a difficult time. He had seemed guarded with her when last they spoke, and she was unsure of where to step next. Their friendship usually felt so easy.

Arwen had decided to leave things up to him. If he wanted her advice, he'd come to her. She couldn't shove it down his throat. In the meantime, she would see to her own family. She had sent a request to Emilia's room that they eat together, as she wanted to assure Emilia that things had gone alright with Rose. Also, as the end of the month grew nearer Arwen knew she would soon have to remind Emilia that she would be leaving - and Emilia needed to figure out what she would do next. This talk was not one she looked forward to.

WHO | Hosphyria & Raine
WHERE | a farm in Seòrdag, some distance away from the druid site
WHEN | Night

( The druid site was quite a distance behind them now, an hour or more away, and Hosphyria thought it was far past time her sister leave )

d a t e : 15th of Lilebláth, in the year 4013.

w e a t h e r : No changes.

e v e n t s : Nothing of note.

a n s w e r e d   p r a y e r s : The Watchers have responded, and today, seven things have been willed into being. Of course, all of these things may be written off as mere coincidence. At some point in the day:

The druid gods give Hosphyria a vision. They are displeased with her frequent prayers regarding her sisters, and demand a significant sacrifice - something no smaller than a horse or a cow - if they are to give advice. Unfortunately, that's not the sort of thing she can sacrifice without its owners catching on and getting awfully angry, so Hosphyria's going to have to decide how badly she wants the help of the gods.

Ellie wakes up with morning stubble. No matter what she does, she will have a full beard by evening. Congratulations.

Watchers acting on behalf of the Keeper intervene here, as they are eager to hinder the Kavanagh family in any way possible. This night Emilia has a terrible dream, in which Duncan arrives in Elysia to take Rose away and send her off to the Island of Doves. In the dream, Duncan demands that they keep the ability hushed up, and announces he has arranged a marriage for Rose in Valhalla.

The Watchers employ one of their favorite modes for dealing with Duncan - another dream. In the night, Duncan dreams that he goes to his wife's chambers for maritals. When he arrives, it is not Emilia, but Kaia waiting in her bed. She's happy to receive him, and they go about it. When done, Duncan turns to see Emilia standing in the doorway and applauding. She tells him that she has never been happier with her husband. Duncan will awake then, and find he has been sleepwalking - and the scent of his wife seems heavy in the air.

A change in perspective may be necessary. Sorcha goes color-blind for a day, as well as loses her depth perception. The Watchers hope that makes things more exciting for you, Sorcha.

The next time Eilidh sees Karanteg, she is overwhelmed with such rage that she bursts blood vessels in both of her eyes and promptly passes out. Is that more to your liking, dear Lady?

A strange idea overcomes the lady Catríona, and nothing from her sister's urging to plain old common sense and logic will talk her out of it. For one day only, she is convinced that her best option in life is to conceive a son with Karanteg, and then have him killed off. Well, good luck with that.

Prayer Submissions | Watcher's Responses

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Tags: #time update, 4013-05-15

Who: La'Rosh and Eurydice
When: Night
Where: Esterwick (or near abouts)

It was perhaps slightly possible that Eurydice's companions were regretting venturing so near to town that evening. When they'd come close enough to hear a couple of drunken off-duty soldiers laughing about their latest raid, it had been too late to turn back, as Eury had promptly thrown her spear through one of the bastard's necks. She'd only just barely heard Maran breathe 'oh gods, here we go again' as she charged.

A small group of off-duty soldiers had been no trouble for them at all. It had been the dozen or so soldiers that rushed outside to investigate the noises that made things trickier. In the end there had been nothing for it but to split and run. Eurydice hated running, but she wasn't so worried about the others. They'd had to do this before, and it always worked out in the end. They'd meet up in a day or so and be no worse for the wear. Eurydice's main concern was going to be getting out of the village unseen. Considering the way she was drenched with blood, that was a slightly larger challenge than it normally would have been. She ran into an alley, cursing under her breath as she found the way blocked. She could hear her pursuers, not far behind. There was nothing for it. She'd have to fight her way out.

Who: Morgance and Skalthyri
Where: a tavern in Mag Mell
When: after nightfall

( I believe in nothing but the truth in who we are )

Who: Lynnea and Rune
When: Mid-afternoon
Where: Wintermoon

( Could one use their Gift so much that it was lost to them? )

Who: Kaia and Duncan
Where: The dining hall
When: Morning

( One day, maybe next week )

Who: Prince Alcott and Ingisól
When: Afternoon
Where: Elysian marketplace

When Ingisól had heard that the crown prince would be visiting Elysia, Ingisól had been over the moon. Well and truly happy for the first time since her father had died, and so excited she had barely slept at all in anticipation. Then of course, the worst had happened. In the time since, her brother had made his intentions quite clear. He had pushed Pyrrha at the prince at every given opportunity, and ignored her completely. It seemed to have slipped his mind entirely that he had two sisters, and one of them was perfectly willing to make nice with the prince! Pyrrrha didn't care at all! It just wasn't fair. Ever since she had been downright mopey. She was lingering on the edge, and dangerously close to slipping into a mood even fouler than before. This never would have happened when her father was alive.

Still, she was determined to be the good sister. She was not going to let her brother's slights against her falter in appearances. She had swallowed her hurt and anger, and attended court every single day - like she always did. Pyrrha didn't even go, more often than not. It was unacceptable. Insulting, even. Perhaps sensing a temper tantrum in the near future, Mira had seemed determined to try and cheer Ingisól by any means necessary. She had finally convinced her that some time out of the castle would do her good. Why not treat herself to some new silks? If she was being ignored, she would just have to stand out more. Ingisól had finally given in, but as she walked through the marketplace followed closely by Mira, and then by her guard, she couldn't help but sulk. She wished she had a friend - a proper friend, a noble one, because her handmaiden most certainly did not count - to do this sort of thing with.

"Ooooooh, my lady! Look at this one. Isn't it lovely?" Mira was lovingly running a hand across a bolt of golden silk. It was beautiful, but Ingisól couldn't help but feel worse for the sight of it.

"Gold is Pyrrha's color," she said, frowning. "Everyone says it's too much for my coloring." They said the same thing about pink, but Ingisól was happy to draw the line there. "It wouldn't look as good on me as it would on her."

WHO | Morgance, Thyri, and Kyna
WHERE | Manannán Landing, Mag Mell
WHEN | Afternoon

( The way she spelled her lies almost made it a wonder that the woman didn't believe them to be true as well. )

Who: Aoife and Rose
When: After lunch
Where: Outside the inn

Rose had a rock in her hand.

It hadn't been a rock a few minutes ago. It had been a piece of paper with writing on it, but she hadn't liked what she'd written. It'd been the beginnings of a letter home to Alexander, not their father but Alexander specifically, and she'd grown so frustrated that all that she was thinking wouldn't translate to words that... well, this had happened. She didn't want it to be a rock. She wanted it to be the paper she'd just been writing on and that wasn't so very much to ask for! Except. Well. If she turned it back to paper now then would it still be the same as before or would the writing be gone? If the writing was going to be gone then she'd be just as well off throwing the thing as far as she could and getting another piece. Maybe then it'd be easier to tell Alexander what she was trying to. That grandmother Emily and aunt Gia were here as well, and that mother was... like she was in Avalon City. Only better and she'd been that way for days. There were no shards of broken anything anywhere and she hadn't heard shouting or crying once.

Not once. And she was oh-so-glad for whatever had caused it, but it trouble her young mind. What was so different here that mother would be happy enough to smile every day and even in the presence of grandmother Emily?

No, I don't want to know. "And you need to be paper," Rose informed the rock, eyes narrowed as she glared at it and tightened her grip. "Paper." She could feel it gathering somewhere inside, that strange power she didn't understand, welling up and stretching and touching and changing. It was different and yet as natural as breathing had ever been because this was just something that she could do. And as she watched the rock shifted and stretched and thinned into... a piece of blank parchment that she threw down on the ground in disgust.

Who: Sorcha and Freja
When: Midday
Where: Wintermoon

Freja had not yet had the opportunity to speak with her cousin, though she had seen her many times - both in her sleep and when she had first been brought in. She had insisted on helping tend to Sorcha, even if that only amounted to changing her bandages. She had yet to see her cousin in Sorcha's waking hours, and she kept abandoning whatever task she attempted to set mind to in favor of returning to the physician's quarters. She was surprised to see her cousin awake when she opened the door. At least, it looked like she was awake. It was honestly kind of difficult to tell if her eyes were open.

"Oh, Sorcha..." she murmured, voice just above a whisper. "Are you awake? Do you need anything?" Other than a troll corpse to torture. She'd been livid to hear of Sorcha's attack, and she'd quite wanted to mount her horse and go out looking for one to kill just so she could bring Sorcha back it's teeth. Or perhaps its balls. Her guard wouldn't allow her out of her room during that particular temper tantrum. Bastards.

Who: Alec, Riordan and Vikram
When: Afternoon
Where: Brighton Castle
Warning: Violence likely. Disturbing definite.

( One day that wasn't today because today was something grand and he didn't even know why it was. )

Who: Godric and Pyrrha
When: Evening
Where: Court at Elysia

Though Pyrrha would have preferred to be getting up to her usual antics down at the harbors, she had instead been spending time at the family home in Elysia. With Alcott still in town, Iagan had hinted - strongly - that her absence would be seen as a deliberate insult to both ruling Kenet lord as well as the visiting royalty. Pyrrha, being far from an idiot, had chosen then to temporarily relocate back to the suite of rooms kept for her at home. Just because she was staying at court, however, didn't mean that she had to actually spend time at court. She had little patience for gossiping nobles or pretending to like... well, most of them, after all, and so usually found ways to occupy her time that didn't involve putting on a dress and a fake smile for the amusement of others.

It had the added benefit of irritating Iagan, after all, that she was obeying the letter of his command but spitting in the face of its spirit.

This course of action meant that she was spending quite a bit of time out-of-doors, venturing into the desert or jungle as the mood struck for riding or hunting. Or she just spent the day somewhere out of the way, doing any number of little domestic tasks that she didn't turn over to servants for the sheer virtue of having something to do. On the plus side, her leathers were all neatly repaired and her horse's coat had never shone so brightly.

She'd chosen to go hunting today, taking along a few huntsmen as her sole company, and had spent the day blissfully away from home. They returned as the sun was setting with the day's prize - a pair of fat antelope - neatly dressed and ready to be turned over to the kitchens for some future meal. Pyrrha then dismissed the stablehands who'd come to help her with her horse, Aethon; the black stallion was as famed for dislike of anyone who wasn't Pyrrha as he was for his size. Unsaddling him, she'd given him a good rubdown and his nightly feed, then left him to eat in peace while she sought out a bucket of water and some soap. Though it wouldn't replace the proper soak she planned on once she returned to her rooms, her quick wash at least meant she could return to groom Aethon without offending anyone with her smell. With Aethon's stall door left open, Pyrrha quickly settled into the soothing rhythm of her brushstrokes, humming quietly to herself.

Who: Emilia and Nysa
Where: Their inn, Empyrean
When: Late morning

( For Emilia, bathing was truly a ritual that she always felt better for engaging in. )

Who: Gia and Arwen
When: Midday
Where: Third Step Inn

Arwen wasn't so sure that Elysia had been the best choice for their little family vacation anymore. It had been so long since she had been in Empyrean that she was constantly busy. Some days it was all she could do just to make time for Arie, but she was unwavering in her determination to pull that off. She was finally starting to feel as if she had breathing room again, and she was glad for it. The city gossip was that the prince would be leaving soon, and people now seemed much more concerned with that than they were with her. She felt the need to thank Alcott for that. Later. First, she was determined to spend time with her family. She had yet to see her aunt (Gia would always be her aunt, and she didn't care what anyone had to say to the issue), and she had to remedy that. The absence felt inexcusable.

She went straight to the inn from the church, insisting the guards waited in the common room while she went up to the room. It was close enough to lunch time that she hoped Gia would be in, she thought, and she listened for sound in the room while knocking lightly on the door.

Who: Mùirne and Ashling
Where: Blackoak Bridge
When: Morning

Ashling was never certain what sort of reception she would get in the villages surrounding military outposts. Generally, she and her companions avoided them when they could, but today they lacked that luxury. They had been able to avoid the invading trolls, but the weather had still caused trouble. One of the horses had spooked, and in attempts to flee had damaged some of their supplies. Ashling had been selected to enter the village to seek replacements. As a woman, it was less likely that she would be seen as a threat. Still, she had undone the plait holding her hair back, allowing it to fall over her ears. It would have been obvious as to what she was if there was any sort of lingering gaze, but it still helped in most cases.

Her kind rarely had use for any human currency, but she was always sure to confiscate purses from the servants of the Keeper she eliminated. Often, they'd just quietly drop them into a beggar's bowl in whatever town happened to be close enough, but she always saved a few coins for emergencies. She was glad for that now, as she left the apothecary. What humans charged for herbs they could so easily go out and find for themselves was amazing. Oh well. To each their own, and everyone had to make a living somehow.

Who: Aurelia & Liona
Where: Beinn Castle
When: Early afternoon

( Aurelia was not a patient woman. )

Who: Catríona and Eilidh
Where: Yggdrasil Castle
When: Late morning

( 'Are you feeling better today?' )