We are NOT things.

"Hello world, I'm your wild girl." An RP blog for St. Jaqs, a Changeling in the World of Darkness setting.

[red-feathers-and-bone]

It's the day after the winter ball, and it's around time for lunch. Jaqs is on break, and she's in line to get something from a food truck when she notices an unfamiliar changeling heading her way up the street. It's pretty easy to see her, what with her tentacles and her firetruck red leather jacket. What do???

There’s gotta be more than just one tentacled Changeling around, right? Just ‘cause Rin said the Summer Queen had ‘em doesn’t mean this is her. And anyway, Dorian’s hungry as hell and there’s too many people around to really do a solid roadkill sweep, so he wanders into the food truck line, upnodding his hello at the other Lost.

[riot-summer]

"I mean, but there's definitely a power differential at play if y'all end up being members of the Freehold. Like. What happens when Summer rolls around?" Jaqs runs a hand thru her wet-seeming hair, looking more and more grumpy as she continues down the rabbit hole. "... and I mean, I'm glad to hear you say that she seems to like me, but I never thought about the power thing before and the more I think about it, it is kinda skeevy?"

[red-feathers-and-bone]

It's the day after the winter ball, and it's around time for lunch. Jaqs is on break, and she's in line to get something from a food truck when she notices an unfamiliar changeling heading her way up the street. It's pretty easy to see her, what with her tentacles and her firetruck red leather jacket. What do???

There’s gotta be more than just one tentacled Changeling around, right? Just ‘cause Rin said the Summer Queen had ‘em doesn’t mean this is her. And anyway, Dorian’s hungry as hell and there’s too many people around to really do a solid roadkill sweep, so he wanders into the food truck line, upnodding his hello at the other Lost.

[riot-summer]

Jaqs notices Dorian hop into line, and offers her place to the one person between the pair of them so they can converse without alerting any mundane folks.

“Haven’t seen you around before. You new, or just passing through?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

“Passing-passing through.” He gives her a quick look up and down, but doesn’t make eye contact. He’s twitchy, but not hedgefresh twitchy. Just…nervous, or mildly uncomfortable.

“Not eh…not a problem, is it? Not on anyone’s territory I-I shouldn’t be?”

[riot-summer]

“Nah, you’re good my dude.” Jaqs shrugs. “I think the only Monarch in town that gets fussy about that sorta shit is the folks in the East side - and even then that’s only if you’re doing something illegal.”

“… I just figured I’d say hello - since it’s so rare to see Community that I don’t know in the wild.” She holds out her hand. “Jaqs. You?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

“Dorian.” He shakes her hand quickly, then shoves his hands back in the pockets of his shabby jacket.

“What does eh…what does the Monarch on the East side consider illegal? And-and-and which season are they?”

[riot-summer]

“Oh, uhhh. Good question,” Jaqs laughs as she, too, shoves her hands back into her pockets. “So our Freehold is kinda odd - and we’ve attracted a pretty diverse crowd of people. We have seasonal courts,” she gestures at herself. “… and we also have a surprisingly larger presence from three of the four directional courts.”

“… as for what she considers Illegal, well. You’d have to ask her yourself - or wait until she tries to find you for whatever reason. She’s… a bit of a bitch but she… uhh. Tries? I guess?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

Dorian shakes his head slightly, ruffling his feathers.

“Just passing through, like I said, so as long as eh…as long as that’s not illegal we’re probably good.” His laugh is a little nervous, like he doesn’t quite believe that he’s ‘good’ here.

“There’s - if you don’t mind me saying so, there’s…a lot of ‘odd’ about the ‘hold here. Least eh…least in my experience.”

There doesn’t seem to be any insult in his voice, just confusion. How does a freehold as odd as this work, long-term?

[riot-summer]

“Well. Everyone keeps saying that we’re weird, but you’d feel differently about shit if you’d been here five years ago,” she interjects - perhaps than a harsher tone than intended - before she can stop herself. “Errrrr. Well. It’s just better now that our courts are run by people who actually give a shit.”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

He flinches just slightly when she starts talking.

“What eh…what were the courts like, then?”

[riot-summer]

“The old Autumn Queen kidnapped the mortal who was dating William Book’s daughter. Tortured and killed her to send a message to her political rival. Spring Monarch before Eva was super detached and uncaring when it came to any matter that wasn’t a party. Summer King before me was a Diet Bootlicker with control issues,” she shrugs. “They’re all gone because we were’s gonna take shit from them - and the wyrd picked Monarchs who give a shit because clearly it wants better for this Freehold than that.”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

“The - you’re, ohshit -” His pale eyes get very wide, and he glances around briefly before dropping his head to her.

“Not-not the place for a full bow, Your Highness, I eh…I apologize.” He speaks very quietly, so only she can hear it.

“You met eh…you met my motleymate recently, I think.”

[riot-summer]

“Please don’t do that, man. Nobody bows to me it’s weird,” she looks super uncomfortable at the display. “Like I said things aren’t like that here - but yeah, I did. Rin, right? She single?”

Jaqs laughs in a very ‘haha just kidding… unless?’ kinda way.

[red-feathers-and-bone]

“Sorry ma’am. Still eh…still not used to the way things work here.”

He straightens, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

“Rin’s…Rin’s single, yeah, but…” He grimaces. “The eh…the Spring monarch, in our freehold, he-he felt that his position entitled him to do-do whatever the fuck he wanted with the spring girls, so. I’m-I’m not saying you’re gonna do that, but…but just so you know. If anything happens to her I will make the fucker responsible pay.” The last sentence has a steeliness to it that might be surprising, coming from a twitchy and soft-spoken guy like him.

[riot-summer]

"Oof, uhh. Well." Jaqs laughs nervously, rubbing the back of her head and obviously trying not to let the sudden realization of what she was asking show on her face. "Noted...band uhhh. You're right, I probably shouldn't have asked - I didn't mean to make things uncomfortable."

[red-feathers-and-bone]

It's the day after the winter ball, and it's around time for lunch. Jaqs is on break, and she's in line to get something from a food truck when she notices an unfamiliar changeling heading her way up the street. It's pretty easy to see her, what with her tentacles and her firetruck red leather jacket. What do???

There’s gotta be more than just one tentacled Changeling around, right? Just ‘cause Rin said the Summer Queen had ‘em doesn’t mean this is her. And anyway, Dorian’s hungry as hell and there’s too many people around to really do a solid roadkill sweep, so he wanders into the food truck line, upnodding his hello at the other Lost.

[riot-summer]

Jaqs notices Dorian hop into line, and offers her place to the one person between the pair of them so they can converse without alerting any mundane folks.

“Haven’t seen you around before. You new, or just passing through?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

“Passing-passing through.” He gives her a quick look up and down, but doesn’t make eye contact. He’s twitchy, but not hedgefresh twitchy. Just…nervous, or mildly uncomfortable.

“Not eh…not a problem, is it? Not on anyone’s territory I-I shouldn’t be?”

[riot-summer]

“Nah, you’re good my dude.” Jaqs shrugs. “I think the only Monarch in town that gets fussy about that sorta shit is the folks in the East side - and even then that’s only if you’re doing something illegal.”

“… I just figured I’d say hello - since it’s so rare to see Community that I don’t know in the wild.” She holds out her hand. “Jaqs. You?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

“Dorian.” He shakes her hand quickly, then shoves his hands back in the pockets of his shabby jacket.

“What does eh…what does the Monarch on the East side consider illegal? And-and-and which season are they?”

[riot-summer]

“Oh, uhhh. Good question,” Jaqs laughs as she, too, shoves her hands back into her pockets. “So our Freehold is kinda odd - and we’ve attracted a pretty diverse crowd of people. We have seasonal courts,” she gestures at herself. “… and we also have a surprisingly larger presence from three of the four directional courts.”

“… as for what she considers Illegal, well. You’d have to ask her yourself - or wait until she tries to find you for whatever reason. She’s… a bit of a bitch but she… uhh. Tries? I guess?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

Dorian shakes his head slightly, ruffling his feathers.

“Just passing through, like I said, so as long as eh…as long as that’s not illegal we’re probably good.” His laugh is a little nervous, like he doesn’t quite believe that he’s ‘good’ here.

“There’s - if you don’t mind me saying so, there’s…a lot of ‘odd’ about the ‘hold here. Least eh…least in my experience.”

There doesn’t seem to be any insult in his voice, just confusion. How does a freehold as odd as this work, long-term?

[riot-summer]

“Well. Everyone keeps saying that we’re weird, but you’d feel differently about shit if you’d been here five years ago,” she interjects - perhaps than a harsher tone than intended - before she can stop herself. “Errrrr. Well. It’s just better now that our courts are run by people who actually give a shit.”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

He flinches just slightly when she starts talking.

“What eh…what were the courts like, then?”

[riot-summer]

“The old Autumn Queen kidnapped the mortal who was dating William Book’s daughter. Tortured and killed her to send a message to her political rival. Spring Monarch before Eva was super detached and uncaring when it came to any matter that wasn’t a party. Summer King before me was a Diet Bootlicker with control issues,” she shrugs. “They’re all gone because we were’s gonna take shit from them - and the wyrd picked Monarchs who give a shit because clearly it wants better for this Freehold than that.”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

“The - you’re, ohshit -” His pale eyes get very wide, and he glances around briefly before dropping his head to her.

“Not-not the place for a full bow, Your Highness, I eh…I apologize.” He speaks very quietly, so only she can hear it.

“You met eh…you met my motleymate recently, I think.”

[riot-summer]

"Please don't do that, man. Nobody bows to me it's weird," she looks super uncomfortable at the display. "Like I said things aren't like that here - but yeah, I did. Rin, right? She single?"

Jaqs laughs in a very 'haha just kidding... unless?' kinda way.

[red-feathers-and-bone]

It's the day after the winter ball, and it's around time for lunch. Jaqs is on break, and she's in line to get something from a food truck when she notices an unfamiliar changeling heading her way up the street. It's pretty easy to see her, what with her tentacles and her firetruck red leather jacket. What do???

There’s gotta be more than just one tentacled Changeling around, right? Just ‘cause Rin said the Summer Queen had ‘em doesn’t mean this is her. And anyway, Dorian’s hungry as hell and there’s too many people around to really do a solid roadkill sweep, so he wanders into the food truck line, upnodding his hello at the other Lost.

[riot-summer]

Jaqs notices Dorian hop into line, and offers her place to the one person between the pair of them so they can converse without alerting any mundane folks.

“Haven’t seen you around before. You new, or just passing through?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

“Passing-passing through.” He gives her a quick look up and down, but doesn’t make eye contact. He’s twitchy, but not hedgefresh twitchy. Just…nervous, or mildly uncomfortable.

“Not eh…not a problem, is it? Not on anyone’s territory I-I shouldn’t be?”

[riot-summer]

“Nah, you’re good my dude.” Jaqs shrugs. “I think the only Monarch in town that gets fussy about that sorta shit is the folks in the East side - and even then that’s only if you’re doing something illegal.”

“… I just figured I’d say hello - since it’s so rare to see Community that I don’t know in the wild.” She holds out her hand. “Jaqs. You?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

“Dorian.” He shakes her hand quickly, then shoves his hands back in the pockets of his shabby jacket.

“What does eh…what does the Monarch on the East side consider illegal? And-and-and which season are they?”

[riot-summer]

“Oh, uhhh. Good question,” Jaqs laughs as she, too, shoves her hands back into her pockets. “So our Freehold is kinda odd - and we’ve attracted a pretty diverse crowd of people. We have seasonal courts,” she gestures at herself. “… and we also have a surprisingly larger presence from three of the four directional courts.”

“… as for what she considers Illegal, well. You’d have to ask her yourself - or wait until she tries to find you for whatever reason. She’s… a bit of a bitch but she… uhh. Tries? I guess?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

Dorian shakes his head slightly, ruffling his feathers.

“Just passing through, like I said, so as long as eh…as long as that’s not illegal we’re probably good.” His laugh is a little nervous, like he doesn’t quite believe that he’s ‘good’ here.

“There’s - if you don’t mind me saying so, there’s…a lot of ‘odd’ about the ‘hold here. Least eh…least in my experience.”

There doesn’t seem to be any insult in his voice, just confusion. How does a freehold as odd as this work, long-term?

[riot-summer]

“Well. Everyone keeps saying that we’re weird, but you’d feel differently about shit if you’d been here five years ago,” she interjects - perhaps than a harsher tone than intended - before she can stop herself. “Errrrr. Well. It’s just better now that our courts are run by people who actually give a shit.”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

He flinches just slightly when she starts talking.

“What eh…what were the courts like, then?”

[riot-summer]

"The old Autumn Queen kidnapped the mortal who was dating William Book's daughter. Tortured and killed her to send a message to her political rival. Spring Monarch before Eva was super detached and uncaring when it came to any matter that wasn't a party. Summer King before me was a Diet Bootlicker with control issues," she shrugs. "They're all gone because we were's gonna take shit from them - and the wyrd picked Monarchs who give a shit because clearly it wants better for this Freehold than that."

[red-feathers-and-bone]

It's the day after the winter ball, and it's around time for lunch. Jaqs is on break, and she's in line to get something from a food truck when she notices an unfamiliar changeling heading her way up the street. It's pretty easy to see her, what with her tentacles and her firetruck red leather jacket. What do???

There’s gotta be more than just one tentacled Changeling around, right? Just ‘cause Rin said the Summer Queen had ‘em doesn’t mean this is her. And anyway, Dorian’s hungry as hell and there’s too many people around to really do a solid roadkill sweep, so he wanders into the food truck line, upnodding his hello at the other Lost.

[riot-summer]

Jaqs notices Dorian hop into line, and offers her place to the one person between the pair of them so they can converse without alerting any mundane folks.

“Haven’t seen you around before. You new, or just passing through?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

“Passing-passing through.” He gives her a quick look up and down, but doesn’t make eye contact. He’s twitchy, but not hedgefresh twitchy. Just…nervous, or mildly uncomfortable.

“Not eh…not a problem, is it? Not on anyone’s territory I-I shouldn’t be?”

[riot-summer]

“Nah, you’re good my dude.” Jaqs shrugs. “I think the only Monarch in town that gets fussy about that sorta shit is the folks in the East side - and even then that’s only if you’re doing something illegal.”

“… I just figured I’d say hello - since it’s so rare to see Community that I don’t know in the wild.” She holds out her hand. “Jaqs. You?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

“Dorian.” He shakes her hand quickly, then shoves his hands back in the pockets of his shabby jacket.

“What does eh…what does the Monarch on the East side consider illegal? And-and-and which season are they?”

[riot-summer]

“Oh, uhhh. Good question,” Jaqs laughs as she, too, shoves her hands back into her pockets. “So our Freehold is kinda odd - and we’ve attracted a pretty diverse crowd of people. We have seasonal courts,” she gestures at herself. “… and we also have a surprisingly larger presence from three of the four directional courts.”

“… as for what she considers Illegal, well. You’d have to ask her yourself - or wait until she tries to find you for whatever reason. She’s… a bit of a bitch but she… uhh. Tries? I guess?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

Dorian shakes his head slightly, ruffling his feathers.

“Just passing through, like I said, so as long as eh…as long as that’s not illegal we’re probably good.” His laugh is a little nervous, like he doesn’t quite believe that he’s ‘good’ here.

“There’s - if you don’t mind me saying so, there’s…a lot of ‘odd’ about the ‘hold here. Least eh…least in my experience.”

There doesn’t seem to be any insult in his voice, just confusion. How does a freehold as odd as this work, long-term?

[riot-summer]

"Well. Everyone keeps saying that we're weird, but you'd feel differently about shit if you'd been here five years ago," she interjects - perhaps than a harsher tone than intended - before she can stop herself. "Errrrr. Well. It's just better now that our courts are run by people who actually give a shit."

[red-feathers-and-bone]

It's the day after the winter ball, and it's around time for lunch. Jaqs is on break, and she's in line to get something from a food truck when she notices an unfamiliar changeling heading her way up the street. It's pretty easy to see her, what with her tentacles and her firetruck red leather jacket. What do???

There’s gotta be more than just one tentacled Changeling around, right? Just ‘cause Rin said the Summer Queen had ‘em doesn’t mean this is her. And anyway, Dorian’s hungry as hell and there’s too many people around to really do a solid roadkill sweep, so he wanders into the food truck line, upnodding his hello at the other Lost.

[riot-summer]

Jaqs notices Dorian hop into line, and offers her place to the one person between the pair of them so they can converse without alerting any mundane folks.

“Haven’t seen you around before. You new, or just passing through?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

“Passing-passing through.” He gives her a quick look up and down, but doesn’t make eye contact. He’s twitchy, but not hedgefresh twitchy. Just…nervous, or mildly uncomfortable.

“Not eh…not a problem, is it? Not on anyone’s territory I-I shouldn’t be?”

[riot-summer]

“Nah, you’re good my dude.” Jaqs shrugs. “I think the only Monarch in town that gets fussy about that sorta shit is the folks in the East side - and even then that’s only if you’re doing something illegal.”

“… I just figured I’d say hello - since it’s so rare to see Community that I don’t know in the wild.” She holds out her hand. “Jaqs. You?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

“Dorian.” He shakes her hand quickly, then shoves his hands back in the pockets of his shabby jacket.

“What does eh…what does the Monarch on the East side consider illegal? And-and-and which season are they?”

[riot-summer]

"Oh, uhhh. Good question," Jaqs laughs as she, too, shoves her hands back into her pockets. "So our Freehold is kinda odd - and we've attracted a pretty diverse crowd of people. We have seasonal courts," she gestures at herself. "... and we also have a surprisingly larger presence from three of the four directional courts."

"... as for what she considers Illegal, well. You'd have to ask her yourself - or wait until she tries to find you for whatever reason. She's... a bit of a bitch but she... uhh. Tries? I guess?"

[honeycrisp-witch]

Jaqs is making her rounds to check on some of the Freehold's more reclusive members. She pulls up to the Braeburn's orchard on her bike, dressed in her usual jeans + leather jacket + combat boots combo. Knock knock knock.

Braeburn answers the door of her cottage, dressed (as usual) like she just stepped out of a Waterhouse painting. “Saint Jacqueline. To what do I owe the honor?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“You’re very kind to offer. I might accept some of that help–if it wouldn’t be too much trouble. I’ve also considered trying to, um. Organize a small party or something here, to see if it’s ‘outside’ or ‘crowds’ that’s giving me more trouble.”

[riot-summer]

"It wouldn't be any trouble at all," she reiterates in a kind tone.

"... and, uhh. I know my mantle feels and. Err. Smells a bit like being in the pit at a summer music festival. The, uhh. Crowd-y nature of that isn't troubling you, is it?"

[red-feathers-and-bone]

It's the day after the winter ball, and it's around time for lunch. Jaqs is on break, and she's in line to get something from a food truck when she notices an unfamiliar changeling heading her way up the street. It's pretty easy to see her, what with her tentacles and her firetruck red leather jacket. What do???

There’s gotta be more than just one tentacled Changeling around, right? Just ‘cause Rin said the Summer Queen had ‘em doesn’t mean this is her. And anyway, Dorian’s hungry as hell and there’s too many people around to really do a solid roadkill sweep, so he wanders into the food truck line, upnodding his hello at the other Lost.

[riot-summer]

Jaqs notices Dorian hop into line, and offers her place to the one person between the pair of them so they can converse without alerting any mundane folks.

“Haven’t seen you around before. You new, or just passing through?”

[red-feathers-and-bone]

“Passing-passing through.” He gives her a quick look up and down, but doesn’t make eye contact. He’s twitchy, but not hedgefresh twitchy. Just…nervous, or mildly uncomfortable.

“Not eh…not a problem, is it? Not on anyone’s territory I-I shouldn’t be?”

[riot-summer]

"Nah, you're good my dude." Jaqs shrugs. "I think the only Monarch in town that gets fussy about that sorta shit is the folks in the East side - and even then that's only if you're doing something illegal."

"... I just figured I'd say hello - since it's so rare to see Community that I don't know in the wild." She holds out her hand. "Jaqs. You?"

[honeycrisp-witch]

Jaqs is making her rounds to check on some of the Freehold's more reclusive members. She pulls up to the Braeburn's orchard on her bike, dressed in her usual jeans + leather jacket + combat boots combo. Knock knock knock.

Braeburn answers the door of her cottage, dressed (as usual) like she just stepped out of a Waterhouse painting. “Saint Jacqueline. To what do I owe the honor?”

[riot-summer]

“I wanted to come check on you, if that’s alright? Trent mentioned you haven’t been leaving the Orchard much and I got worried.” She tucks her hands into her jacket pockets. “We could talk inside if you’d prefer?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

Braeburn sighs and deflates somewhat. “It’s kind of you to check in. Do come in.”

[riot-summer]

Jaqs follows her inside, noting the sigh. “Were you hoping I was here for something else?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“I know why you’re checking in–William has done the same. Perhaps if I stay here long enough, even the Winter Monarch will make an appearance in person to check in on me.”

She sounds closer to guilty or ashamed than anything else.

[riot-summer]

“Oh,” Jaqs sheepishly looks down at her boots. “I didn’t realize William had come by already. I hope I’m not being annoying by showing up out of the blue.”

“… and I wouldn’t hold my breath on the Winter Monarch, but I’m honestly surprised Eva hasn’t come by.”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“I know Trent’s been talking to her.” Braeburn runs a hand through her hair, careful for her branchlers. “You’re not being annoying, Jaqs. The fault is my own, for not…you know. Getting out there.”

[riot-summer]

“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s your fault either. I know how shit goes - sometimes it’s just… I dunno. You don’t have the energy, so you just, uhh, don’t.” She shrugs. “Everything been going okay lately? With the Orchard and what-not?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“The bees are still wintering over. I’m debating getting a new queen to split one of my hives, but that isn’t something to act on until April or so. The weird weather has led to some early budding on the trees, which may be a problem if it snaps cold again without warning.”

[riot-summer]

“Ooooh,” Jaqs says, obviously not totally following, but trying her best to keep up. “Is that why you’ve been keeping an eye on things out here so often?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“No, that’s because I’m literally afraid to go into town, with all the noise and the bustle and the people. But the orchard makes a nice excuse, doesn’t it?” She smiles crookedly

[riot-summer]

“Oh,” Jaqs rubs the back of her head. “Is this a new development, or something you’ve been dealing with for a while? Y'know, even before, uhhh. Recently?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“It’s been a thing. It gets worse sometimes, and for the past few months it’s really been a thing. But I’m trying to work around it as well as I can. Trent’s been a great help to me, as my apprentice–fetching groceries and ingredients for lessons, making deliveries…”

[riot-summer]

"That sounds rough, and I'm sorry you're dealing with that. If there's anything I can do to assist-" She cuts herself off, and restarts. "Which is to say, I know Trent is already helping, but I'd be more than happy to assist with anything he isn't able to. It wouldn't be any trouble, since I'm already out and about so often."

[honeycrisp-witch]

Jaqs is making her rounds to check on some of the Freehold's more reclusive members. She pulls up to the Braeburn's orchard on her bike, dressed in her usual jeans + leather jacket + combat boots combo. Knock knock knock.

Braeburn answers the door of her cottage, dressed (as usual) like she just stepped out of a Waterhouse painting. “Saint Jacqueline. To what do I owe the honor?”

[riot-summer]

“I wanted to come check on you, if that’s alright? Trent mentioned you haven’t been leaving the Orchard much and I got worried.” She tucks her hands into her jacket pockets. “We could talk inside if you’d prefer?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

Braeburn sighs and deflates somewhat. “It’s kind of you to check in. Do come in.”

[riot-summer]

Jaqs follows her inside, noting the sigh. “Were you hoping I was here for something else?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“I know why you’re checking in–William has done the same. Perhaps if I stay here long enough, even the Winter Monarch will make an appearance in person to check in on me.”

She sounds closer to guilty or ashamed than anything else.

[riot-summer]

“Oh,” Jaqs sheepishly looks down at her boots. “I didn’t realize William had come by already. I hope I’m not being annoying by showing up out of the blue.”

“… and I wouldn’t hold my breath on the Winter Monarch, but I’m honestly surprised Eva hasn’t come by.”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“I know Trent’s been talking to her.” Braeburn runs a hand through her hair, careful for her branchlers. “You’re not being annoying, Jaqs. The fault is my own, for not…you know. Getting out there.”

[riot-summer]

“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s your fault either. I know how shit goes - sometimes it’s just… I dunno. You don’t have the energy, so you just, uhh, don’t.” She shrugs. “Everything been going okay lately? With the Orchard and what-not?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“The bees are still wintering over. I’m debating getting a new queen to split one of my hives, but that isn’t something to act on until April or so. The weird weather has led to some early budding on the trees, which may be a problem if it snaps cold again without warning.”

[riot-summer]

“Ooooh,” Jaqs says, obviously not totally following, but trying her best to keep up. “Is that why you’ve been keeping an eye on things out here so often?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“No, that’s because I’m literally afraid to go into town, with all the noise and the bustle and the people. But the orchard makes a nice excuse, doesn’t it?” She smiles crookedly

[riot-summer]

"Oh," Jaqs rubs the back of her head. "Is this a new development, or something you've been dealing with for a while? Y'know, even before, uhhh. Recently?"

[honeycrisp-witch]

Jaqs is making her rounds to check on some of the Freehold's more reclusive members. She pulls up to the Braeburn's orchard on her bike, dressed in her usual jeans + leather jacket + combat boots combo. Knock knock knock.

Braeburn answers the door of her cottage, dressed (as usual) like she just stepped out of a Waterhouse painting. “Saint Jacqueline. To what do I owe the honor?”

[riot-summer]

“I wanted to come check on you, if that’s alright? Trent mentioned you haven’t been leaving the Orchard much and I got worried.” She tucks her hands into her jacket pockets. “We could talk inside if you’d prefer?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

Braeburn sighs and deflates somewhat. “It’s kind of you to check in. Do come in.”

[riot-summer]

Jaqs follows her inside, noting the sigh. “Were you hoping I was here for something else?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“I know why you’re checking in–William has done the same. Perhaps if I stay here long enough, even the Winter Monarch will make an appearance in person to check in on me.”

She sounds closer to guilty or ashamed than anything else.

[riot-summer]

“Oh,” Jaqs sheepishly looks down at her boots. “I didn’t realize William had come by already. I hope I’m not being annoying by showing up out of the blue.”

“… and I wouldn’t hold my breath on the Winter Monarch, but I’m honestly surprised Eva hasn’t come by.”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“I know Trent’s been talking to her.” Braeburn runs a hand through her hair, careful for her branchlers. “You’re not being annoying, Jaqs. The fault is my own, for not…you know. Getting out there.”

[riot-summer]

“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s your fault either. I know how shit goes - sometimes it’s just… I dunno. You don’t have the energy, so you just, uhh, don’t.” She shrugs. “Everything been going okay lately? With the Orchard and what-not?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“The bees are still wintering over. I’m debating getting a new queen to split one of my hives, but that isn’t something to act on until April or so. The weird weather has led to some early budding on the trees, which may be a problem if it snaps cold again without warning.”

[riot-summer]

"Ooooh," Jaqs says, obviously not totally following, but trying her best to keep up. "Is that why you've been keeping an eye on things out here so often?"

[red-feathers-and-bone]

It's the day after the winter ball, and it's around time for lunch. Jaqs is on break, and she's in line to get something from a food truck when she notices an unfamiliar changeling heading her way up the street. It's pretty easy to see her, what with her tentacles and her firetruck red leather jacket. What do???

There’s gotta be more than just one tentacled Changeling around, right? Just ‘cause Rin said the Summer Queen had ‘em doesn’t mean this is her. And anyway, Dorian’s hungry as hell and there’s too many people around to really do a solid roadkill sweep, so he wanders into the food truck line, upnodding his hello at the other Lost.

[riot-summer]

Jaqs notices Dorian hop into line, and offers her place to the one person between the pair of them so they can converse without alerting any mundane folks.

"Haven't seen you around before. You new, or just passing through?"

[honeycrisp-witch]

Jaqs is making her rounds to check on some of the Freehold's more reclusive members. She pulls up to the Braeburn's orchard on her bike, dressed in her usual jeans + leather jacket + combat boots combo. Knock knock knock.

Braeburn answers the door of her cottage, dressed (as usual) like she just stepped out of a Waterhouse painting. “Saint Jacqueline. To what do I owe the honor?”

[riot-summer]

“I wanted to come check on you, if that’s alright? Trent mentioned you haven’t been leaving the Orchard much and I got worried.” She tucks her hands into her jacket pockets. “We could talk inside if you’d prefer?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

Braeburn sighs and deflates somewhat. “It’s kind of you to check in. Do come in.”

[riot-summer]

Jaqs follows her inside, noting the sigh. “Were you hoping I was here for something else?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“I know why you’re checking in–William has done the same. Perhaps if I stay here long enough, even the Winter Monarch will make an appearance in person to check in on me.”

She sounds closer to guilty or ashamed than anything else.

[riot-summer]

“Oh,” Jaqs sheepishly looks down at her boots. “I didn’t realize William had come by already. I hope I’m not being annoying by showing up out of the blue.”

“… and I wouldn’t hold my breath on the Winter Monarch, but I’m honestly surprised Eva hasn’t come by.”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“I know Trent’s been talking to her.” Braeburn runs a hand through her hair, careful for her branchlers. “You’re not being annoying, Jaqs. The fault is my own, for not…you know. Getting out there.”

[riot-summer]

"Well, I wouldn't say it's your fault either. I know how shit goes - sometimes it's just... I dunno. You don't have the energy, so you just, uhh, don't." She shrugs. "Everything been going okay lately? With the Orchard and what-not?"

[honeycrisp-witch]

Jaqs is making her rounds to check on some of the Freehold's more reclusive members. She pulls up to the Braeburn's orchard on her bike, dressed in her usual jeans + leather jacket + combat boots combo. Knock knock knock.

Braeburn answers the door of her cottage, dressed (as usual) like she just stepped out of a Waterhouse painting. “Saint Jacqueline. To what do I owe the honor?”

[riot-summer]

“I wanted to come check on you, if that’s alright? Trent mentioned you haven’t been leaving the Orchard much and I got worried.” She tucks her hands into her jacket pockets. “We could talk inside if you’d prefer?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

Braeburn sighs and deflates somewhat. “It’s kind of you to check in. Do come in.”

[riot-summer]

Jaqs follows her inside, noting the sigh. “Were you hoping I was here for something else?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

“I know why you’re checking in–William has done the same. Perhaps if I stay here long enough, even the Winter Monarch will make an appearance in person to check in on me.”

She sounds closer to guilty or ashamed than anything else.

[riot-summer]

"Oh," Jaqs sheepishly looks down at her boots. "I didn't realize William had come by already. I hope I'm not being annoying by showing up out of the blue."

"... and I wouldn't hold my breath on the Winter Monarch, but I'm honestly surprised Eva hasn't come by."

[honeycrisp-witch]

Jaqs is making her rounds to check on some of the Freehold's more reclusive members. She pulls up to the Braeburn's orchard on her bike, dressed in her usual jeans + leather jacket + combat boots combo. Knock knock knock.

Braeburn answers the door of her cottage, dressed (as usual) like she just stepped out of a Waterhouse painting. “Saint Jacqueline. To what do I owe the honor?”

[riot-summer]

“I wanted to come check on you, if that’s alright? Trent mentioned you haven’t been leaving the Orchard much and I got worried.” She tucks her hands into her jacket pockets. “We could talk inside if you’d prefer?”

[honeycrisp-witch]

Braeburn sighs and deflates somewhat. “It’s kind of you to check in. Do come in.”

[riot-summer]

Jaqs follows her inside, noting the sigh. "Were you hoping I was here for something else?"

[honeycrisp-witch]

Jaqs is making her rounds to check on some of the Freehold's more reclusive members. She pulls up to the Braeburn's orchard on her bike, dressed in her usual jeans + leather jacket + combat boots combo. Knock knock knock.

Braeburn answers the door of her cottage, dressed (as usual) like she just stepped out of a Waterhouse painting. “Saint Jacqueline. To what do I owe the honor?”

[riot-summer]

"I wanted to come check on you, if that's alright? Trent mentioned you haven't been leaving the Orchard much and I got worried." She tucks her hands into her jacket pockets. "We could talk inside if you'd prefer?"

[alazarin-red]

It's a good thing this is a masquerade ball, because Jaqs is entirely unrecognizable without her usual wardrobe of ripped jeans and tank top. Tonight, she's wearing a hedgespun gown that looks to be comprised of the remnants of an obsidian suit of plate, and a mask that looks like the visor of a matching helmet - though she's still wearing her thorn-studded firetruck red leather jacket, so maybe not totally unrecognizable. She's drinking a cup if coffee off to the sidelines. What do???

While just about everyone seems to be in awe at the spectacle, there’s one figure who seems to be delighted and confused, even by local standards. In lieu of a proper mask, she’s wearing almost comically large dark sunglasses, and her mien blurs in the moonlight. She’s dressed simply, in a slinky red dress and black pumps, the cut of the neckline a bit risque, and there’s signs that she’s already been drinking.

As she notices Jaqs, there’s a softly audible ‘wow’, before she realizes that was aloud and tries to walk away without drawing further notice. “Fuck…”

[riot-summer]

Jaqs is still leaning back in her chair, and she seems very comfortable as she speaks - as if what she’s about to say is something she’s said a hundred times over.

“I’m not trying to - I just actually believe that treating the folks in your Freehold like actual fuckin’ people is the barest requirement for the station, and that any government that doesn’t directly serve the interests of it’s people is better off not existing.”

[alazarin-red]

She watches Jaqs. And then sighs. “I think I need another drink before I’m going to believe any of this. You want anything, while I’m up?”

[riot-summer]

“I don’t drink anymore, but I wouldn’t say no to another black coffee?” Jaqs quirks an eyebrow. “You sure you should keep drinking? You know your limits better than I do, but be careful, yeah?”

She can’t resist trying to be the mom friend even at a party.

[alazarin-red]

“It’s the only way to handle a party like this.” She smiles, or makes a face that looks like a smile, before turning to go fetch drinks. And when she returns, there’s not only a wineglass and coffee mug carefully carried in one hand, but also a full plate of pastries, chocolates and other desserts.

“Thought we could share some of these.”

[riot-summer]

Jaqs holds up her hands in surrender. “If you say so.”

She takes the coffee with a grateful nod, and immediately jumps for one of the mini-eclairs on the platter. “This,” she says with a mouthful of pastry. “Was an incredible idea. Good thinking.”

[alazarin-red]

“Of course. This has been the best meal I’ve gotten on a while. Like I said, we don’t plan on staying, but you gotta catch good food when you can. On the road, it’s all peanut butter and crackers. Diners, when we have a little cash. Roadkill, when we’re totally broke.”

She takes a chocolate cherry and nibbles some of the chocolate off slowly.

[riot-summer]

“Yeah, I know how that goes - I was openly queer in the late 80’s. It’s not a fun way to live. Come find me if y'all need cash or supplies or anything before you head out, yeah?” She pops another pastry into her mouth whole and the tentacles wriggle excitedly, clearly appeased by sugar.

“… and I have a pullout couch that’s always available to anybody who needs it - in case y'all pass this way again.”

[alazarin-red]

“Look, you’re nice. I don’t believe you’re going to murder me in my sleep tonight. But I don’t think there’s any chance in hell of us choosing to crash on your couch.”

She lets out a bit of a laugh. “Um. I’m Alazarin. Rin for short, if that’s too much.”

[riot-summer]

"Well I'm not going to complain about having a quiet apartment to myself," Jaqs laughs in response. "Saint Jaqueline. Though Jaqueline or Jaqs work just fine."