video; unseelie locked.

[thebreakingwave]

Hello, for those of you I haven't yet met, I'm Harry.

[The video footage is of a young man with messy black hair, one bottle-green eye, and half his face silvered over with old scarring. On the damaged side, he has a red amber prosthetic in place of an eye. In the background, there's a crow that periodically peers over his shoulder.]

The queen has tasked me to talk to every one of the Unseelie and ask for a memory of solidarity, overcoming great odds, or defeating a foe. With these, she can use it to create a better, stronger defence for a rebuilt Caer Scima.

It's going to take time to do this — at the very least, a few months — so there's no hurry to meet and I've the ability to get to pretty much anywhere in the Drabwurld quickly.

[He looks down at a bit of paper that's just out of sight; seems like someone made notes before talking.]

Sharing a memory is done through magic, it doesn't hurt, I won't look at anything you don't want me to see and I'll swear to that.

How's that?

Comments

[selfimage]

[ he was wondering when the announcement that Caer Scima would be rebuilt would come. this doesn't come as a surprise, and even the means of doing so doesn't come as a surprise, but— ]

Building the next Caer Scima on the hopes and victories of the ones that may inhabit it again one day, eh?

[thebreakingwave]

It's a strong sort of magic and if I understand the principles, it ought to work well.

[selfimage]

If you get everyone to recall something strongly enough—no matter how many details may be missing—then even the stone itself may remember.

[ says the reality manipulator that lies to the universe. ]

[thebreakingwave]

The sort of magic I'm used to, the basics of it, the daily sort of simple spells are just that - simple, learned by rote, like tying your shoes. But important magic, strong magic, that's all about belief.

[selfimage]

Making a lie the truth.

[ he says easily. not at all that he's discounting lies, hope or belief, because those are all things that resonate strongly with him. they just all pull from the same core. ]

Some things resonate more deeply than others. The more cosmically convincing the lie, the better the sorcerous result.

[thebreakingwave]

[Harry cocks his head to one side and thinks about this for a while. It's not something he'd have said, but it reminds him of Moody holding forth on 'The Big Lie' theory. It makes sense.]

I wouldn't have put it like that, because this is about memory, things that happened, but I think you're on to something.

[selfimage]

Maybe not as deeply, but even with memories there's a level of perception. What happened in the storybooks doesn't always reflect the reality of the tale itself. I may have a few convincing victories set aside.

[thebreakingwave]

If you'd let me view one, share it with me, I'd be quite grateful. I'd be happy to return the favour, but I don't know if I've got anything that's a great lie or a great story to tell.

[selfimage]

Oh, I'm sure I can think of something for compensation.

So, tell me, when do you think you'll near completion? I'd like to be there for this brand of spell being woven.

[thebreakingwave]

Honestly, I haven't the first clue. However long it takes me to find all the Unseelie and there's a great number of us - not just those that've come in the last year, but all those from previous rounds of press-ganging.

If you want, as part of your 'compensation', I can let you know and talk to Morla about your being there when the magic is done?

[selfimage]

[ folding his hands and watching with a mild curiosity as he speaks. he wiggles his fingers a little toward the end, as if they're itching to do something.

sorry Harry, just a few questions first. he's not going to lose his Harry Potter favor. ]

Ah—you're friendly with her?

[thebreakingwave]

I wouldn't say 'friendly', but we've spoken.

[Is anyone friendly with the Queen? Is anyone that dim?]

[selfimage]

[ that's definitely what he wants to know. ]

She did ensure this task to you. I had to ask. Inquiring minds and all that.

[thebreakingwave]

No, I understand. I've done some service in the past and I've been very clear about the sorts of tasks I'm willing to take on.

[He'll serve, he'll protect, but he doesn't want to go on the offensive.]

[selfimage]

So, the whole "something meant for the better of all"? That's if I had to take a guess.

[thebreakingwave]

That's a nice idea, but I don't think that this is better for all, just the Unseelie.

[ Harry might be naive, but he's not quite that sheltered. ]

[selfimage]

Those on this post.

All right—sold! I'll give you the memory, and you get me my audience. If it falls through, we can make other arrangements.

I may even be able to help.

[thebreakingwave]

Brilliant. Where and when would you care to meet?

[selfimage]

Why don't you choose the place? We'll say mid-month? I do have some things to attend to.

[ shut up Loki you're not busy. ]

[thebreakingwave]

The Station then. I'm due to meet up with several people there and then and it'll make it easier. There's a fairly good cafe there that does these apricot things.

[ How helpful, Harry. Apricot 'things'. ]

[selfimage]

Done and done! I'll be expecting apricot things.

[ look, that's intriguing. ]