video | open to both courts | morning of the 26th

[extramural]

[ The locket is, as usual, in the air and facing the Outsider. Unfortunately, his gaze seems to be a bit to the left of the locket and instead of floating in mid-air, he's sitting on his bed. A large white rat scurries up his arm and across his shoulder, then leaps to the mattress and then the floor; judging by the faint noise in the background, it's not the only rat in the room. ]

I can no longer see, [ the Outsider states simply, sounding faintly confused. ] The Maidenfish have handed me a piece of paper, but if it says anything, I cannot read it.

[ The aforementioned piece of paper is held up so that the locket can get a good look at the writing- or that's the intention, anyway. He's holding it backwards, and one of the Maidenfish (in the form of a woman, wearing a veil and a long, black dress with a train) gently turns the paper around so that the words face the screen.

Dearest Outsider,

You will have found by morning's light that I have divested you of your eyesight. Is it something you miss? Something you might like to have returned to you?

I'd hoped so! For I'd dearly like to have those shards of mine returned. I propose this to you:

Deliver either a fully-powered shard or a sigil tablet to an old, ruined place where the Black Shuck was once worshipped, in the dark of Nimh Gleane: a circle made of seven stone statues of the Old Dog himself. Place the object in the open mouths of any number of the statues and be on your way. If this is done within a month, I shall make the return to you as swift and silent as it was stolen!

If not, I'll distribute what I've taken among the humble populace of native folk.

Best wishes,

Reynard the Fox, Rightful Lord of Maupertius, titles & honors, etc. ]

If someone could inform me of what it says...?

[ After what he deems an appropriate length of time, the Outsider lowers the paper. Shifting slightly on the bed to hand the note back to one of the Maidenfish, his movement reveals one more thing: on the wall behind him, a fine drawing of a winking fox's face in red chalk. ]

Comments

[chaoticwhimsy]

You what? Yes! Yes he stole from me! [She really doesn't give him a chance to answer.] Not that my note makes any sense because it says he stole deceit and that's just stupid. But that's not the point!

[She shakes the other note at him.]

He took Alice! [A beat.] Wait you can't see?

[extramural]

He stole my eyesight.

[ He says this with all of the patience of a four thousand year-old being -- which is a lot of it. ]

And stole Alice in her entirety, Grell's ability to speak... likely other things from others who faced him at Maupertius.

[chaoticwhimsy]

Jeepers. [She frowns up at him, trying to spot a difference between Outsider-who-can't-see and Outsider-who-can-see but not coming up with much. So Reynard could steal things as abstract as that.]

[She can't fix the fact that he can't see, right then, so she'll focus on other things.]

Well we gotta get her back! [There's probably a surprising amount of ernestness in Lumina's voice, there.] And I guess I need to figure out what he actually took from me, because this doesn't make any sense.

[extramural]

Yes, [ he agrees, firm; Derya gently nudges Lumina forward, having seen him and Grell holding onto each other somewhat earlier. ]

Perhaps see if you can tell me a lie?

[chaoticwhimsy]

[Lumina is nudged forward, and getting the hint, reaches out to pat the outsider on the arm to show she's there.]

Uh. Right. Okay. My hair is pink. [She frowns.] My hair is pink. [A frustrated noise.] My hair is PINK!

[Someone is trying to say her hair is blue and it is not going very well.]

[extramural]

[ That answers that question. He shifts to take her hand as best he can. ]

What were you trying to say, my dear?

[chaoticwhimsy]

[She takes his hand, though she still sounds quite irritated.]

I was trying to say my hair is blue.

[Apparently, indirectly saying it isn't a lie, since that time it comes out fine.]

This is stupid. How do you steal someone's ability to lie?!

[extramural]

Powerful magic, [ he says, though he knows that Lumina probably isn't really asking. ]

We will fix it.