video | unseelie

[extramural]

[ The locket, as always, is held up in mid-air when the Outsider turns it on. He is not alone in this recording, though; behind him are four women in long, gauzy black dresses and veils. With them are several children, eyes all black; the women are gently ushering them along the shore of the beach behind them while two massive dogs run back and forth.

In the distance is the black line of the Void, creeping over the ocean.

Next to the Outsider is another one of the children, and next to him the resemblance is clear: the same eyes, the same curious tilt to the head, the same bony cheeks. The child looks a bit more fey, but he sticks close to his sire, hands clutching to his arm. ]

Do not harm the children, [ the Outsider begins, and his voice is cold, shows every century of age and power. ] Do not harm the children or we will use your blood and bones, and you will be lucky if you are dead when we start.

[ A large palm smooths over the hair of his son. A daughter comes up on the other side, humming. She smiles at him and her teeth are sharp and red. The Outsider leans in so she can murmur in his ear. ]

Ah, yes. Should anyone find themselves with a need to desecrate shrines further -- the same warning applies to you. I will know, should you touch one of mine.

[ His daughter giggles and takes the hand of his son, and the two go to join the others. The Outsider watches, head half-turned. A seagull swoops down and perches on his shoulder, ruffles its wings, and the feed ends. ]

Comments

[extramural]

Ah.

[ His hands come together, fingertips touching almost as if it's an afterthought. ]

How so?

[selfimage]

The universe works in cycles and patterns. [ he waves a hand outward as if to say "all of this." ] As is its preference.

And here we are at the heart of it, trying to fight against another apocalyptic instance played on multiversal levels. The Unseelie pull here, the Seelie pull there, and in the end the Void consumes us all and the Seelie can't even throw a victory party.

Any deviating from that path is met with cosmic defiance.

[extramural]

Retaliation in the form of chaos, [ the Outsider muses. ] The threat of retaliation, of what might be, enough to encourage others to go along with the cycle.

[ For the first time, he picks up his teacup and takes a sip. ]

The Void of my own world is both the beginning and the end. It would not surprise me if this one was similar.

[selfimage]

Aye, but another end to relive the same beginning over and over.

[ his foot twitches and his eyelashes fall heavily over his eyes. ]

Who wants to do that?

[ he knows. not just the Seelie, but the gods. the Asgardians. those that had thrown him beneath the bus to appease their need for stability. ]

[extramural]

Boring people, I imagine.

[ Not any god he knows, but then, he's been the only one he's known for the past four thousand years. ]

[selfimage]

And who do you think prophesied this godswar?

[ there's a little bit of bitter amusement in his voice. ]

Boring people.

[extramural]

And many will go along with it, scurrying along, doing what's expected.

[ He is not a fan of what's expected. ]

[selfimage]

Now that a prophecy is involved? Guaranteed involvement, actually.

With special guests the Shuck and the Hart.

[extramural]

And so what do you propose?

[selfimage]

That we play a little game of "find the storyteller."

Visions don't just poof into existence, and I'm not giving that unimaginative fellow the satisfaction.

[ Loki's going into his pocket, twirling a bit of charcoal between his fingers. he brushes a few runes onto the table and they glow briefly. it's a silencing tactic. ]

Have you ever heard of the Drabkeeper?

[extramural]

[ He eyes the runes with some interest, leaning in to examine but not touching. ]

Yes, though I know little about him. Only that he had a library of works that could not be found elsewhere.

[selfimage]

[ they're old, neatly drawn with a variation in line. they keep hold of the reality, retaining the spell of silence around them. (anyone outside of the little table bubble would conveniently be hearing blah blah blah blah.) ]

A library with an irreplaceable fire hazard that was, coincidentally, burned down to the ground.

I'll be the first one to call conspiracy.

[extramural]

[ Neat. He approves. The first time he saw the Brucolac setup any wards, they were terrible. ]

Reynard the Fox, [ the Outsider murmurs after a moment. ] He was the one to destroy it, or so I was told.

[selfimage]

[ let's all take a moment and be glad we're not bad at things like the Brucolac. ]

So we were both told, and the Drabkeeper himself fancies himself an escape artist. Now, from what I've heard of Reynard, I'm surprised he let anyone off at all.

Either this Drabkeeper must be on par with Houdini, or something else is amiss.

[extramural]

If you wish to speak to someone who saw it -- not at the time, but through magic -- then that can be arranged. She is Seelie, so it would have to be discrete, but...

[ You know. He's a helper. Or something. ]

Houdini?

[selfimage]

Remind me to tell you later.

[ one day he'll tell you about Houdini, the Outsider, but today is not that day. ]

I can do discrete.

[extramural]

[ A pause and the Outsider, quietly, almost to himself, says- ]

I believe the Drabkeeper's symbol was also foxes.

[ And, as if he hadn't just said that: ]

Her name is Flora.

[selfimage]

[ that's an interesting tidbit right there.

something didn't sit right with him. there were gaps where the pieces should meet. ]

Since being sneaky is my thing, I don't think we'll have much of a problem on that front.

We'll drink to Flora, then.

[extramural]

She has at least one device that will let her speak to others that is not the lockets. It should be simple enough.

[ With that, he picks up his teacup. ]

[selfimage]

[ let's clink to that, bro. ]