genessia | Lastly came Winter cloathed all in frize

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Lastly came Winter cloathed all in frize

[There appears to be fog or steam rising up around the woman as she appears on screen, in reality it's because behind her is a field of ice leftover from when she froze the water coming out of the pod so she could walk across it without getting wet. Her hair is down, all adding the the abnormal lack of color and making the dark lips and shifting colors in her eyes even more obvious. Her eyes are only sort of in the direction of the screen because she is holding the brochure in her other hand, flipping it over to see if there is any more explanation for whatever god had the audacity to pull her away from what she was supposed to be. And only a god would have that ability because there was no way any humans even in large numbers could have managed the task against her will.]This is unacceptable.

[Gaze lifting from the device in her hand to the surrounding city the Queen looks... annoyed. Which isn't the best mood to have her in but isn't all that uncommon either.] Handmaiden. [Now that sounds more like a demand than a randomly thrown out word. And it is. She's calling for the Leanansídhe and is even more annoyed when the woman does not appear. She'd call for her Knight if she thought he wouldn't run the other direction just to be difficult, he generally had to be suborned into service. Her eyes narrow as she steps out onto a street with passing people and they barely seem to pay her any mind which is not common at all.] Creatures of this demesne, explain.

[And that's about the time things start going frosty all around her, it even crackles into the edges of the screen, icing up trees behind her and something cracks as it freezes so quickly then explodes in a shower of ice shards and wood. One of the lower branches of a tree off to her left side.]

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[Harry doesn't even have to see her post on the network to know when Mab's arrived. A sudden start, something like an icey shiver shooting down his spine and he just KNOWS.]

[It's about then that he spots her post and the pit of his stomach drops out. She's right, he does want to turn and head in the opposite direction, maybe hide under the bed and hope she goes away.]

[But Mab's here, she's furious, and the city is full of people who have no idea who she is or why they should not go play welcome wagon.]

So, [he shows up on video a few minutes later, swallowing hard, but keeping an even expression on his face. You don't show weakness to Mab. Not ever. Especially when you're her Knight.] fancy seeing you here.

[Oh look, her Knight. How very helpful that he has stepped forward. It would be extremely irritating having to find him. Her fingers tighten on the device before loosening again.]

[Those inhuman eyes fix on his with intensity.]My Knight. Explain. [She doesn't appear as angry as she ought to considering what he last remembers from his own world. Most of the current anger is from the audacity of someone bringing her here against her Will.]

[Eep. That is a scary look. It would probably be very wise as well as very prudent to answer her right away.]

[So he'll get right on that soon as he has a sip of Coke here.]

It's a long story. I assume you've seen the brochures giving you the basics?

[It is weird how she doesn't seem... surprised to see him alive and kicking here. But it is Mab, and even Harry doesn't have the audacity to guess what's going on in her head.]

[Her eyes drift away from the screen as he sips his drink, and in the general direction she feels him. When he speaks again, she returns her attention to his face.]

[A pale hand lifts the pamphlet into view, the pile of money and necklace also dangling from her fingers.]

The basics, in every sense of the word.

[He still hasn't taken his eyes off of her, even if only his peripheral vision so he sees when she looks off in his direction. He knew that hiding from Mab was never an option, but at least at home he had a whole planet to work with which would have at lest given him a head start. Genessia and its subcities was considerably smaller than that.]

Then you don't know much more than the rest of us, I'm afraid. What I have been able to discover for certain is that this isn't part of our world, or any place in the Nevernever.

Unfortunately, we don't know who's behind all of this. Yet.

[Her jaw tightens just a little at the bad news. Like she might be grinding her teeth. ]

And how long have you been in this place, Wizard?

[Okay, this was a bad situation. If Mab decided to take out that frustration on the city, with nobody in charge to go for, it could cause some serious problems.

Ha. "Serious problems." Somebody call Guinness because Harry just set a new record for understatement.

Now if only he could think of some way to make this next bit of news easier to swallow.]

About two years now.

[Her eyes narrow again. A human would say that was impossible, but of course as a Queen of Faery, she can move time with her will so it would not be impossible for him to disappear for five minutes from Chicago but have spent a hundred years in her realm.]

You have been here for two years and do not know more? Perhaps you have grown rusty at your craft.

[He's heard of other people coming in to this place at different times without even knowing that friends were missing at all. He'd ask Mab how long it's been since they last met, but he didn't think he'd get a straight answer from her.]

[Speaking of which.]

I said I don't know who brought us here. Not that I don't know more.

[She should appreciate him being selective in his words, right?]

[She'd used her own words just as selectively. It always pleases her to see her Knight learning to be more like the Sidhe. The expression on her face is expectant. He has just implied that he knows more though he has not outright admitted her does.]

And?

[Okay, now here's where things get dicey. Harry takes a deep breath, gathering up some courage here.]

See, here's the thing. The way I see it, I've been here on my own for the past two years not acting in the service of your and your Court in any capacity. That means any information I have gather, big or small, is mine and the choice to share it is mine as well.

Of course I'm willing to do so in exchange for one small, very small, concession.

[Oh he does have gall. She loves it and hates it.]

Perhaps I see that you have been out of my service for two years. Both years which you promised. To. Me. [Oops, she's frosting the phone again.]

Your years are MINE.

[Temper temper. A dog yelps off screen and something snaps before she reigns herself back in.]

Pray tell me, my Knight, what is it you beg of me.

And both years I'd have spent in your service had the choice not been taken from me, of course.

[She was angered, dangerously so, and with good reason. He knows that he's pushing the boundaries of her patience, that he's skirting deadly close to outright defiance. It was unbelievably stupid. Insane even by his lofty standards of madness and it was likely inviting more than a fair share of misery upon himself.

It was the kind of thing he'd never do for himself.]

Peace.

The people here have been brought to this place against their will, just as you and I have, and I have taken them under my protection as much as I've been able. All I ask is that they be left to live in peace.

Provided, of course, they do not raise their hand against you first.

[That's not really a concession she's willing to make. Especially given the uncommon stupidity of humans. And she knows if he'd been given a choice he'd have spent two years away from her service. Hell, he'd killed himself to do so. So his argument is weakened. She takes the time though to consider it even though frost still crackles around her charging the air. After a few moments she inclines her head slightly.]

Perhaps I will consider leniency with those who do not cause my ire should you explain what you have learned and you agree to resume your knightly duties as you would have had we not ended up ... here.

[And he should know a knight could carry on his regular life and be a knight just as Ronald Reuel had. He was astute when he chose to be. IT was just unfortunate sometimes he chose to be the opposite.]

[He remembers Ronald Reuel just fine, thanks, or at least he remembers what was left of him. But he remembers Lloyd Slate even better.

Putting a knife to that son of a bitch had been the only bright spot to that day.]

You've got me. We made a bargain, you upheld your end of it and I'll do the same. There are enough bastards here who deserve to get buried. Hell, I'll gladly help you go after a couple of them in particular. All I'm asking is that the people just trying to get by be allowed to do so.

[He's being very astute in his mind. Mab might not have the full support of Winter behind her here but she didn't need it. Because there was no balancing act with Summer to maintain, and if Mab decided to take advantage of that... well, there might be one or two people here who could get in her face about it but the fallout from such a clash would be devastating.

Harry was not one of those people. The most he could do was try to head it off at the pass, and if that meant some ire coming his way then so be it. Better him than Murphy, or Raye, or Ruby, or Jaune or any of the others. Harry, at least, deserved it.]

In exchange I'll willingly share everything I've been able to learn and everything I might learn in the future. No omissions, no dodging. What do you say?

[Mab gazed at him for a moment, just to let him squirm. Because he deserved to squirm. And she let him squirm for almost a full minute. Then she slowly smiled.]

You ask a favor of me. [Because lets face it, he will be her knight now as part of the bargain they already made. Telling her what she needed to know was a part of that bargain. This was just icing.]

No omissions. So long as they do not strike out directly against me and mine, so long as I am not purposely provoked, I shall allow the innocent the trivialities of life as they know it.

[To his credit he keeps a poker face for that whole minute. Even while those eyes stab into him like spears of ice. Even when that smile seems to make the blood freeze in his veins.

He could feel that all he wanted, as long as it stayed off his face. No weakness. Weakness means worse than death.]

[He lets the part about it being a favor go. Even if it was true, he'd rather keep the language itself as close to a deal as possible. He doesn't know exactly how debt worked between a Queen and her Knight but he desperately does not want to find out.]

Agreed. [It wasn't perfect and it left tons and tons of wiggle room as far as what purposely provoked meant and what kind of consequences would follow, but he was pushing his luck enough as it was. It would have to do.]

So, uh, do you want to do this over the phone or, [he can't believe he's asking this] do you... need a ride or something?

[Really she can't tell he's out of her own timeline, he's acting like he's already been through her training. Perhaps he is not as hard as she has made him though. That can be rectified.]

So mote it be.

A ride would be agreeable. [She lifts the phone so that you can see where she is, and as she does the dog that had yelped wags it's tail and whines a little before the ice snaps again and he's free, running down the street.] You can find me?

[It may not have been Mab's training but he's been through a hell of a gauntlet during his time here. Nearly a solid year, alone, with no backup or shelter being stalked by terrifying, nearly unkillable creatures had a way of making you a lot harder.]

[Craaaaap. He was kind of hoping that she'd turn down the offer outright. That's what courtesy gets you.]

Yeah, I know where you are. [The dog gets a bit of a grimace from him when he's out of her sight. He can't help but feel that was a message.]

Sit tight. I'll be there in a few minutes.

[She does prefer this face to face. He could have summoned her. He may have forgotten, or perhaps he knows something she doesn't. But if he has chosen not to, it has earned him a single solitary brownie point. One had to wonder what he might do with those or if they were worth anything at all to her.]

Excellent.

[The dog was only to show him she was abiding by their agreement. No innocents killed. Or even hurt at this point. She does look baffled by the term 'sit tight'. If she could look baffled anyway. It comes out somewhat puzzled. Regardless she has no where else to go yet so it's not like she's moving.]

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Lastly came Winter cloathed all in frize

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