The Beginning

((I despised that post; it's gone now.))

Seth took a few more agitated paces towards Shiftie and again shouted her name, louder and slower this time. "Can you get rid of this appearance now? Not nearly as formidable as my greatly impressive normal stature," he said, voice dripping with sarcasm in the last bit.

---

A man dressed in a formal black outfit greeted Hawthorne at the back door of the inn. Presumably the night guard, and most likely also a new hire, as Hawthorne did not recognize him. "Is Master Gracey present?" Hawthorne asked politely but formally.
((So, who's in for a plot twist? Just yes or now for now, it's something that could be thrown in at any time, but I'm not going to tell you guys what it is unless you decide yes or no >. On Hawthorne's side btw, but affecting both.))

((Grr. It was supposed to be >:D but the smilie thing got in the way.))

"I b'lieve so," wheezed the doorman, appearing to be impaired by no small amount of whiskey. Gracey was clearly losing his touch at servant choice. "Could you take us to him?" Hawthorne impatiently asked the gaping doorman, who was now leaning forward and showing two rows of crooked, yellowing teeth. ((If anyone wants to pick up another character, Gracey can be a Fae. If you guys are each happy with one that's fine, and Gracey will just be the innkeeper. It can also be male or female, btw. The name is also subject to change.))

Vythica followed Zephyr, after eyeing the doorman suspiciously. The Nixie glanced around quickly, watching to see if the two Unseelies had come after them. She hoped that they had in fact decided to follow them, since she really didn't feel like heading back into the woods. She was ready to lie down and get some sleep indoors for a change.

((I'm fine with one character.))

Calantha lowered the Blur's Glamour, then stalked away into the night.

Seth headed back over to the general direction of where they were in the woods, and quickly made his way in the direction the other two went off in. He hurried some to make it there a little bit quicker, and not arouse suspicion of himself, at least. For, after all, you need someone's trust to break it. He caught a glimpse of them stealing away into a doorway. "Hold up!" he called as he was approaching the door, and the doorman held the door without even asking his identity. Clearly the servant was not in his right mind at the moment, for who would suspect those golden two would have a shadowy figure like himself in their company?

---

"Perfect timing, we're meeting with the innkeeper, and I want them to know what exactly is staying in their establishment," Hawthorne chided. "After all, I'm not sure how well they'll take to Unseelies, as we're only acquaintances."
((Lizzie, are you taking the innkeeper or bringing in your own charrie?))

((I'm making my own character. When you guys go into your room, she'll be there XD. I'll post her bio in the other feed, and wait for my moment to bring her in...))

((Okay, I'll probably just wait for the bio to be up until I enter the room.))

((It's up in character sheets!))

Hawthorne proceeded into the next room, keeping a careful eye on Vythica and noticing Seth trailing close behind. In the room he was directed to was not the master, but a childlike figure with extremely long hair, facing away. He cleared his throat as he walked into the room, as not to startle her. "Might you know where Master Gracey is?" he asked cordially. "The doorman seems a wee bit intoxicated at the moment."

Evynne paused her enthusiastic scrubbing of a glistening oak table. Her hand convulsed on the tattered, gray rag. Half-turning towards the figures at the doorway, she stared at the floor as she spoke.
"Master Gracey does not keep me privy to his whereabouts, Sir."
She kept her eyes down and her face concealed with the long tresses of her hair.
"Might I provide you with ale to ease the wait? We have the finest," she said meekly, stuffing her hands in the boys tunics she wore, to hide their trembling.

"I'm quite sorry, I must decline," Hawthorne stated, knowing he'd need to keep his nerves at their sharpest around this bunch. "Although I can't speak for the other two. And don't act like you're below us!" He smiled, although he doubted she could see it the angle her head was at. "We don't bite. Or, at least, I don't. You may want to stay away from the shadowy one near the back. Seriously," he leaned in and whispered. As he got closer to her neck in he noticed the tattoo, and when he stood straight again he saw the shine of a gemstone behind her bangs ((I assume she has bangs with the long hair? Feel free to correct me if I got anything about her wrong)). "Ahh," he sighed, beginning to understand this just a little bit better. He crossed his arms and twisted his mouth into a thoughtful position, careful to be observant, not judgmental. That also explained her aura some, too.

Vythica looked at the small girl who seemed...frighted, was it? "I'm fine, thank you." she said to the girl. Vythica was never fond of ale.
The Nixie watched the girl with confusion. She wasn't quite sure why the girl was so scared. Vythica never considered herself 'scary' nor did she feel that way about Zephyr. Perhaps it was the Unseelie she was so scared of? That would make sense, seeing as Vythica was also afraid of the shadowy Unseelie. Yes, that had to be it.
"Don't worry," Vythica said with a smile and glanced back at the shadow, "we're just here to spend the night."

Glancing up through her curls, Evynne accidentally met the eyes of the thing leaning towards her. Slapping a hand to her mouth, she drew back in fright. Just the brief glance had incited the visions. Her third eye opened and burned as if bereft in front of the glaring sun. Bloody, painful scenes flashed through her head, dizzying her, driving her mad. But it was a familiar thing, and she swallowed their rusty mettle dutifully.
They were Fae, she realized, which scared her all the more. Masters of time, their lives were endless fountains of pain and cruelty that flooded her seer senses.
Evynne heard the female's calm reassurance. The soothing tones reminded her of her mother, but she couldn't help but grip the white scarf wrapped around her neck in an uncontrollable anxiety.
"I-I'll just be going, Sir," she addressed the Fae in pure white. "If you need anything..." she couldn't finish. Please don't need anything, she thought.

((tattoo is hidden. Make of the stone what you will. She wears it b/c most mortals don't know what it means.))

"Amethyst," Hawthorne stated to the fleeing figure. "Or maybe Emerald, if it's more readily available. Peace of mind Seth, Vythica, could you please leave for a moment? I'm not full blood, so the effect shouldn't be as weakening." Seth obliged, shrugging, and Hawthorne turned back to the girl, knowing he could trust Vythica. "I may have a sample here," he said, fishing through his pouch, which seemed much deeper than it should naturally be. "And don't worry, I'll leave you alone once I find it. That is, if you know how to reform the gem?" There were a few seers at Hawthorne's Place of Light, and he knew the basics of how the gift- or curse, it appeared in this poor girl's case- worked.
((Is anybody worried about Seth's lack of speaking yet? >:).))

((Then I guess he just saw the stone, and seers were in his monk education. And I figured it was some kind of restraint for her power?))

((I was figuring more an enhancement. It gives control, but she wasn't well-trained. Her instruction stopped when her mother died. And as for the Seth thing, yes, very worried...))

((At the Seth thing: yeah...I'm with Lizzie XD))

((Okay haha, then my comment still makes some sense. I feel like Hawthrone is trying to be like an EMT. 'Trained monk! Let me through!' And good, it's supposed to be unsettling x).))

Feeling trapped and not nearly ballsy enough to attempt fleeing, Evynne further backed away, putting as much distance between these mystical beings and herself. She'd have rather be trapped in a room full of drunks with knives.
Nibbling on her lower lip, she danced from foot to foot. Amethyst? Emerald? What was the Fae talking about?
"You lied," she blurted. It was so hard to contain the visions. Sometimes they just exploded, like they had a mind of their own and a particular aversion to containment. "You do bite. You do. You don't want to bite. But you do sometimes. But you do. You do."

((Ditto to the "if I get anything wrong" here, since I'm taking some liberties with her "visions"))

((Nice call! I was hoping you would catch onto that.))
"I'm fine for now, though. I'll be fine for a while," anger barely tinged Hawthorne's voice, more at his very occasional need than the girl. "And those gems will help more than any blue gem I know of, and the gem you have is clearly blue. Found it!" He pulled out a clear, oval, purple stone about the length of his palm. "Can you switch this out with your stone? Sapphire? Lapis lazuli? If you know how I'll leave until you're done. One of it's main properties is peace of mind, and that should help you focus your power more than perseverance."

Arms clutching her chest, Evynne closed her eyes and softly chanted gibberish. When she finally opened them, she fixed the full power of her milky white gaze on the Fae.
"Please, Sir. Please don't take it. It's all I have of her now." Despite her words, Evynne removed the chained stone from around her forehead and clutched it in her small hands. "The others said it doesn't help me much because of the strength of my visions, but it's all I have and know. What do you know? I know too much. Do you know too much, too? Will you know too much for me?"
Returning her eyes to the floor, she fiddled with the seer's stone in her hands. If he wanted it, she would not fight him. She knew very well what happened when a Fae was displeased with a mortal.

It saddened Hawthorne enormously to see any being like this, and not by any choice it made. "I don't want your stone. I want you to put this on your headband- wait. Just hold it to your forehead for now." No need to make it seem like he was replacing her stone. He placed the stone just in arm's reach of the Seer, so that she wouldn't be frightened that he would steal her stone, her last artifact of someone dear to her. He was also beginning to worry what even a stone like that couldn't do, if her visions had already been called strong at such a young age. Or, appearing to be a young age.

Evynne gazed at the purple stone curiously. Was it charmed? Would it give her nightmares? Would it hurt?
She felt eyes upon her and looked at the female Fae. She was beautiful, so beautiful she wanted to cry. But no, that was a vision. Something very sad... Something horrible, heart-breaking...
"What have you seen? I have seen much. Too much. You have seen too much, too? Have you seen too much for me?"