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pixieledmemes2025-03-15 08:32 am
Test Drive Meme #2
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You wake up at a party.
You're not sure how, exactly, you got here. You may have just been walking in the woods or at a meeting for work or doing any other normal activity for you. But you know you weren't supposed to be at this party, you're fairly certain.
Anyone you ask about it will say the party is for you. You and the others also waking up and looking confused. Further questions will lead to the partygoers insisting you have something to eat. You're starving and others are eating the food without repercussion, so you figure there's no harm in a bite. You finish your portion.
It's a garden party at the crack of dawn, with the sun still in its early stages of climbing through the yonder, casting a good mix of pastel hues of blue, pink, and beige on everything. Heralding the first day of spring, the Ruler of the Spring Court has found it fitting to arrange this gathering where guests can feel the blades of grass touching their ankles, as well as the rich soil beneath their feet. Flowers of all kinds surround the party as if they were carefully curated. With spring as the "dawn of seasons," which marks a transition from winter's latency to the resurgence of life everywhere, the Ruler of the Dawn Court has also seen it fit to host aspects of this party during the one time of the year that dawn occurs the whole day. Tall candles and torches grace the outskirts of the garden party, providing warmth and an orange glow everywhere. Not one flame goes out even with the occasional wind, the Duchess always makes sure of this.
There are also freshly picked blossoms and branches with leaves on every table accenting the festive spread of food and drinks. This time, a lot of the food prepared for the Adopted guests are familiar to them with a little bit of a twist. Burgers might come in small packages and in toothpicks, while hotdogs in buns are also diminutive. Cookies look delectable but they have a flowery flavor to them, as if eating freshly picked daisies or daffodils. Fruits that may have been present in an Adopted's home, such as pineapples and watermelons, have seeds in odd places. Picking this selection of food is an attempt to be more welcoming and to appease the lovely guests the fae have invited.
As the party winds down and everyone's eaten, a tall, stately woman stands up and speaks. You feel her voice more than hear it.
I am the Lawspeaker of the Fae, elected by Seelie and Unseelie alike, and you are all, now, subjects of Faerie. You cannot leave this realm once you have eaten our food, and even if you could, there is no saying how much time has passed back where you're from. Your loved ones are likely dead, your problems have likely played out. We require assistance in various matters, and each of you has been chosen for your talent and skill. You will be adopted by one of the Seelie or Unseelie Courts based on your strengths and personality. Your Court will decide what to do with you from there.
As suddenly as she stood, she sits back down.
A party is not complete without dancing, of course, and while during the last gathering held for the Adopted, different fae danced to music exclusively for them around a glowing tree, this time they are insisting their guests to join in.
This is a party for you, after all.
If the prodding of the different fae hosts won't convince you, perhaps the music will. They play easily recognizable tunes that their wonderful guests must have heard before. These melodies have certain unique effects to their mortal attendees, which are as follows:
- Upbeat Music: You will believe that you and your dance partner have been friends forever and have known each other a long time.
- Romantic Music: You will become amorous and flirtatious towards your dance partner.
- Slow Music: You will develop some tension with your dance partner. It may be negative or sexual; completely up to you.
- Quiet Music: You will assume your dance partner is a threat and try to fight them.
At the Spring King's behest, every Adopted should wear a flower corsage or boutonnière to the gathering. After all, this is to celebrate the coming of spring and what better way to do that than to honor everything in bloom.
The thing is, though, the King of Spring, while amorous and friendly, also has a penchant for playing with mortals' memories, if not also affect their desires and despairs.
So, mischievous as he is, he made sure to enchant the different flowers present in every corsage and boutonnière for the party with the effects below:
- Rose: You will recall a horrific trauma
- Carnation: You will see a vision of your future, whether it's good or bad
- Orchid: You will remember a time you lost someone
- Chrysanthemum: You will believe someone among the Adopted is your soulmate
- Dahlia: You will believe you betrayed someone important to you, whether you actually did or not
It is perhaps a good thing that no one but the Adopted are allowed to see these visions and memories, but everyone who wears a corsage or boutonnière will be able to see each other's memories and visions when in close enough physical proximity to the vision-haver, for better or for worse.
You feel a vibration in your pocket sometime after the Lawspeaker addresses everyone. When you search for the source, you will pull out your Leaf, the device the Fae use to stay in touch with each other. Anyone who's used a smart phone will easily recognize how it works.
Greetings, Adopted. This is your Lawspeaker.
Tell us all of a time you gave someone a gift. Perhaps a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates. Was it appreciated or not? A reward might await the most meaningful gift given.
no subject
I drank some too. Different glass. Figured since I was already screwed, I might as well not be screwed and thirsty.
[It's not very funny, but she still huffs out a quick, disbelieving laugh.]
Still. At least now we know what won't work. [Yeah, that means this might be a slow slog towards information. But it's still one step further than any of them were just after waking up.] I'm Karen Page. Uh, I'm from New York. You look kind of familiar.
[If ever there's been a time for her particular brand of compulsive honesty, it's now.]
no subject
Yeah, I get that sometimes. [Being being familiar. Especially to New Yorkers. He's one of the least recognizable, but an Avenger is an Avenger. After so many years being a spy, being a ghost, people recognizing him never got easier. Always awkward, every time. So he's tempted to not give a name, or to lie. (And isn't that a fairy thing? Stealing names?) But he's polite, and she's being polite. So, with a little raise of his goblet, like thanks, like cheers:] I'm Clint. Definitely not from here, that's for sure.
no subject
The way he responds is exactly the way she expects someone to answer if they are someone recognizable, but not exactly thrilled by the prospect of someone clocking who they are. The name Clint rings some kind of a bell too, and her expression is thoughtful as she watches him. Processes that answer that's not an answer.] Something tells me this isn't your first weird shit rodeo. [There's no judgment in it. Just acknowledgment. She's no stranger to the weird shit rodeo herself, but this is...certainly an entirely new level of odd for her.]
no subject
Not my first, no. [She doesn't have to make a big deal about anything. She probably isn't going to. There's just enough recognition there from Karen of New York to know she knows something more than nothing.] Unfortunately, no, I don't have some immediate fool-proof escape plan or shortcut to a sure victory on me right now. Left those in my other pants.
no subject
Karen's arms fold in a way that makes it clear that she'd probably be jittering if she were sitting down. She's keeping up conversation, mingling, but she is absolutely still on edge with the events that are unfolding.] I didn't expect you would. [Her head tips so she can flash him a quick, understanding smile. One shoulder goes up in a shrug.] Besides, there wouldn't be so many of us here if it were easy to get out. But there wouldn't be so many of us here if their problems were easy to solve, either.
[Meaning - there's a point the fae's powers can't reach, or can't do what they need them to do. So, yeah, Karen has been mingling and chatting with people, but she's also kind of...feeling out who's going to be game to lend a hand with all of the information she intends to gather.]
no subject
[Which does make him worry. They really have problems that bringing more people who don't even want to be here in is supposedly going to help? He's not sure he buys that, but the alternatives are also just as bad if not worse. There's not enough information yet, so he knows the first thing he'll have to do is learn whatever's already been learned here and then put himself in convenient locations to learn a little more.
He can read the nervousness in her body language. And that's smart. Who wouldn't be nervous and at least a little freaked out? Being able to keep the freaking out on the inside is a skill, and not one everyone has a good grasp on.] Hey. [And one thing he can do is try to keep the peace. Among the mortal guests, anyway. He reaches out a hand, doesn't touch, just lays his hand flat across the table toward her.] I can't promise anything, but I'm gonna do my best to try and fix this, okay? And I know I won't be alone in that. The more of us there are, the more people we got to break out of here.
no subject
[Karen sounds sort of resigned as the makes the observation. She can't stop thinking about the morality behind the actions they've seen from the fae so far. The overall picture just makes her think that their way of feeling and relating with others is just...alien. Like it's never going to parse because they're speaking two entirely different emotional languages.
On the plus side, she is pretty sure that means they'll be able to figure out a way to surprise them.
When Clint reaches across the table, her attention re-focuses on him in a way where it's clear that she's suddenly put two and two together. Like that act of reaching out and making a not-promise about getting out of there is what finally makes her go oh, shit, this is an Avenger.
After a moment, that recognition is replaced with understanding.]
No, you won't be alone in that. This is on all of our shoulders. I don't imagine they'll make it easy on us. [She's still obviously tense, but there's something in the way that she says that last sentence that makes it sound like what she's really saying is that she's never met a challenge she's backed down from before. Even when she's scared. Maybe even especially when she's scared.]
no subject
He can see it on her face, and she thank god doesn't get weird about it. Just slots that knowledge into place and keeps moving forward. His mouth quirks up, a small lopsided kind of smile.]
Good thing we won't be making it easy on them, either. They want their dirty work done, they can ask nicely like everyone else.