4. Conspirators
June 21, 2027
Terra
[ At dusk, the abandoned military base erupts into revelry. Mismatched folding tables groan under an enormous spread of spiky fruits, multicoloured vegetables, and chunky sauces. At the centre is the huge, nacreous haunch of an overground beast, provided by the Court of the Lissome Light—as is the case nearly every solstice, though you'd think it was their first from the boasting. The Court of the Golden Hive distributes this year's honey wine—pale pink and perpetually misting, swathing the party in a rosy fog machine haze—in thrift store mugs handed out by the Court of the Robber King. The one pressed into her hands says, in cheeky cursive, Sorry for what I said before I had my coffee. ]
Terra
[ After lurking by the snack table, she picks her way round the dance floor, dodging gyrating hips and long-necked birds bobbing their beaks to the bassy thrum of the battery-powered boombox (Whale Road's offering). ] Sorry, excuse me...
Splintered Teeth second (NPC)
[ A tall woman whose partygoing face paint is dappled, in the manner of a leopard seal, claps Terra on the back as she passes. ] Nice play, truthseeker!
Terra
[ The hummingbird wings on her cheeks crease uncomfortably with her smile. She was ready to wash the paint off an hour ago. ] Meant every word. [ And now the orca is your problem. ]
Terra
[ Before the second can draw her into conversation, she steps over a possum playing dead and waves her way through a cloud of butterflies. ]
Vic
[ In a more subdued corner of the shop floor, the square teenager is talking to a mole who manages to be shorter than he is. The face paint around his eyes is black and white, and his outfit is dazzling, between his sleeveless fluffy coat and the body glitter—look, it's Star Chasers formal wear, he didn't choose it. Anyway, he's catching up with his old mentor. Not that one, the one from the Bounteous Loam. Taught him everything he knows about tunnel construction. ]
Bounteous Loam mole (NPC)
...and now this news of that psychic? [ She refuses to say "mageling". ] No wonder we're losing so many of our children to the Waking Dream.
Vic
[ Frowning into his ceramic red solo cup. ] Right, yeah...
Bounteous Loam mole (NPC)
[ She pauses, remembering which court her apprentice is from. ] That is—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make light of what happened with...
Vic
[ Brushing it off. ] No, yeah, don't worry, I didn't think...
Bounteous Loam mole (NPC)
It's not losing children, is it, they chose to go.
Vic
Yeah, no, yeah. [ Steering the subject in a different direction. ] But I don't know, I figure it's better to get involved in the real world. Someone's gotta do it.
Terra
[ Squeezing out of a gap between dancers, mug clutched to her chest. ] Vic!
Vic
[ Back to Terra, he closes his eyes, counts three, and turns professionally. ] Terra. Hey.
Terra
[ Her courteous smile is strained. ] Good to see you again. [ He's got stubble now. It doesn't completely hide the youthful curve of his cheeks. ]
Terra
[ Noticing his conversation partner. ] And, er. [ What's the mole's name again? She's drawing a blank. ] ... You as well.
Bounteous Loam mole (NPC)
[ Lifting her decorative beer stein confusedly. She knows who Terra is, of course. ] You too. Vic and I were just chatting about everything that's happened since the last solstice. [ Glancing to him for confirmation. ] But I can leave you two alone...?
Vic
[ Shoulders stiff, but he nods. ] Yeah, that should be fine. We'll talk more later, alright?
Terra
[ As soon as the mole's out of earshot, she clears her throat. ] So. That was your... mentor? [ She glimpsed the back of Vic's arm as she was popping out of the crowd. Where a raven might've been, she saw the cracked earth of the Bounteous Loam. It's fine. Not like she's got a skunk anywhere. ]
Vic
[ Awkward, lifting his bicep. ] Yeah, finished my apprenticeship over there. It was like six months, but...
Terra
[ ... But not the length an apprenticeship ought to be. It feels like a bit of haunch is caught in her throat. ] And then you went back to the Star Chasers?
Vic
Uh huh. [ By way of "no shit". ]
Vic
[ He rakes back strands of bleached hair, tamping down irritation at the insincere small talk. ] Look, uh, did you need something, or...?
Terra
[ She takes a deep breath. Better this way. She always did hate going round the houses. ] I wanted to ask if we could start over.
Terra
[ The bits of her prepared speech got scrambled by Asha's surprise announcement, but the heart of it's the same. ] I wasn’t ready for an apprentice, back then, and that wasn’t fair to either of us. I couldn’t be there for you when you needed it, and I’m sorry for that.
Vic
[ Honestly? He wasn't sure what to expect out of this whole delegation situation. Not like he's talked to Terra at all the past couple years. This outcome is… not terrible. ]
Vic
Well... thanks. [ Pushing his cup from hand to hand. ] For apologizing.
Terra
[ A brisk nod. Vic's still a bit tense. Early into his apprenticeship, when she had time to teach, the reticent teenager hung on to her every word, the picture of an attentive, bright-eyed student. ]
Vic
[ It would be a "moment of silence" if they weren't, you know, standing next to a dance floor. ]
Vic
Water under the bridge, right? [ Haltingly. ] Like... I don't want to be buddy-buddy here, right, I just want to be coworkers.
Terra
[ The relief is bittersweet. She sticks out her hand, businesslike. ] Coworkers, then.
Vic
[ He takes her hand firmly. Okay, cool. ]
Terra
[ There. All settled. She washes back any regret with fey wine. ]
Vic
Speaking of coworkers… Alligator, six o'clock.
Terra
[ She inhales her drink too quickly. Coughing, she looks over her shoulder. ]
Fern
[ Sauntering over from the dance floor, all smiles. The pink and blue lights glitter off of the coat draped over her shoulders, and the sweat on her tattooed biceps. Her face paint is smudged. Just been dancing nose-to-nose with a bird from the Diaphanous Cloud, if Terra happened to see? All good, all good... ]
Fern
[ She joins the circle cheerily, slapping Vic on the back. ] Good seeing you, kid. Literally. You're lit up like the night sky, aren't you?
Vic
[ He glances away, fluffy collar lifting to his ears. ] Hell, it's nothing special. I mean, it is. Everyone's dressed—you know what I mean.
Terra
[ He's not the only one glowing. Fern's bright grin stretches from ear to ear. Her sweat-dappled skin shines under the hovering fairy lights. Someone's having fun. Last time they attended a solstice together, they had to be pried away from the dance floor. That was longer than three years ago. ]
Terra
Fern. [ Cautiously. ] Nice to see you.
Fern
[ She looks Terra up and down, from linen camisole to hummingbird makeup. ] You too. You... look good.
Terra
[ Didn’t expect that tone. Or the once-over. Her arm crosses her torso. ] Thanks.
Terra
[ On the edge of the dance floor, a woman in a downy coat treats Fern’s back to a lingering look, and struts off to the refreshments. She raises her eyebrows. ] Who was that?
Fern
Oh, her? Local bird. Heron.
Terra
Right. [ Feather-chaser. ]
Vic
[ Yeah, okay, he can read the room. ]
Vic
[ Jerking a thumb over his shoulder. ] Hey, I gotta go catch up with someone. Team meeting later, alright?
Fern
[ Squeezing his shoulder as he leaves. ] See you. [ Surreptitiously wiping glitter off on her trousers. ]
Terra
[ The shaved back of Vic's head, and the tattoo from the Bounteous Loam, disappear behind feathered and furred revellers. That could've gone much worse. Could've gone better, too. But you take what you get. ]
Terra
So... [ Her thumb passes over the sharp-toothed symbol on her wrist. ] You two stayed in touch?
Fern
[ She tucks the wrist with the hummingbird on it into her pocket. ] He's a smart kid. Wouldn't be surprised if he's hosting the moot one day.
Terra
Be a sight to see. [ Proudest day of his mentor's life, that. ]
Fern
Yeah. [ She tugs her coat on, with a glance over her shoulder at the current DJ. Sorry Kylie, but duty calls. ] Listen... you want to get out of here? Walk and talk?
Terra
[ She scrutinizes Fern’s expression. ]
Terra
... Yeah, alright. [ She slings her own shimmering coat around her shoulders and gestures ahead. ] Can't hear myself think here, anyway.
——
Terra
[ Their feet take them to the ancient dining hall. One of the walls has been torn away, baring the mottled wood to the open sea. Some metres out, a pod of marine fey slap a volleyball between hands and fins. Moonlight washes the floating base in a pale glow, and the motes of light drifting from the shop floor colour the silver with rose. ]
Terra
[ Fern is exactly the same the same as she remembers. Same easygoing chatter, same deliberate stride. Her laugh lines are deeper, maybe. Hard to tell with the face paint. The sea breeze whistles through the generous space between them. ]
Fern
...How's Dominic? [ She still has his mobile number, but Terra's brother has never been involved in court life. Been fewer and fewer reasons to use it. ]
Terra
Still in London. Still doing quite well for himself, last I heard. [ She scuffs her foot. ] I don't know how he stands it, honestly. [ Between the untenable cost of living and the DSC round every corner... well, she never managed to avoid them as dextrously. ]
Fern
[ Ambling alongside. ] Reckon the paper would be fucked without him.
Fern
And... you? [ She softens the patter a little, testing the waters. ] How've you been? [ Terra's not got her pendant on, she's noticed. ]
Terra
[ Almost as soon as the words are out of Fern’s mouth: ] Fine.
Terra
[ Come on. Fern’s not your enemy. She exhales and tips her head, following the lazy circle of a fairy light. ] I'm better. Really.
Fern
[ Watching Terra sidelong. ] Yeah?
Terra
Yeah.
Terra
[ She is overcome by the urge to spill her guts to her ex-partner. She's better, yeah. Still confined to a court away from the life she spent fifteen years building, purely out of her own stubbornness. Her greying dad's been happy to see her, of course. He doesn't make up for the mind-numbing boredom of the day—update a fey path, repair a ward script, watch a young Whale Road fey take on their first apprentice, rinse and repeat—or the loneliness of a single bedroll. To think, she used to hate sharing blankets. ]
Terra
... I'm good. [ A little shrug. ] Not ecstatic about going back, but there you go. What about you, how've you been?
Fern
Good, good. [ Seems like the conversation's moving on. Not about to push, is she... ] You know how it is. Asha manages to keep me busier than the kiddos.
Terra
I'll bet. Congratulations on making second, by the way. [ She burrows her hands into her pockets. ] I didn't realize you and Asha were that close.
Fern
Neither did I. Surprised she even asked me, if I'm being honest. [ She flexes the raven on her bicep proudly. ] But I'm not about to say no to serving my court.
Terra
[ Her eyes trace the curve of the bird’s wing along Fern’s arm. ] Suits you.
Terra
[ Is Fern happier now? She doesn't ask. Reckon she wouldn't like either answer. ]
Fern
[ She drifts over to one of the support pillars overlooking the water, leaning against it. Far below, the selkies frolic, but she peeks at Terra in her peripheral vision. Is she really happier in the Whale Road? Doesn't look it. Does she miss the old crew? Guess there's no point wondering now. ]
Terra
[ Fern's got a sort of look in her eye. Or maybe it's the light off the sea, doing funny things. ]
Terra
[ On the edge of the wood paneling, she toes the curve of grit where the wall once was. A line of dust crumbles into the water. ] Fern, about the vote…
Fern
[ Terra has a look in her eye, too, and it’s keener than the moment would suggest. ] Yeah?
Terra
Did you set that up?
Fern
[ A surprised chuckle. ] Noticed that, did you?
Fern
Yeah, I talked to a few folks in advance. Vic. [ Business as usual, for a fey moot. ] Didn't predict that orca. But I thought you might volunteer, so. [ Shrugging. ] Asked around, just in case you did.
Terra
Can I ask why?
Fern
You're the best person for the job. Scrying magic, and all. And given who's involved... I figured you'd want in.
Terra
[ She nods, slowly. She is the obvious choice, drama notwithstanding. When she'd been up there, in front of everyone, she thought the same thing. ]
Terra
[ She tips her head up, and at an angle. ] Put like that, it almost sounds selfless.
Fern
[ Scar tugging as she shows a tooth. ] Maybe not that selfless.
Terra
[ No trick of the light this time. The warmth of the honey wine tingles in her arms, in the pit of her stomach. Three years of self-imposed exile, a little look in the right light, and suddenly she's never heard of a dead bedroom. ]
Terra
Alright. Last question.
Terra
[ She brandishes her hand incredulously. ] Are you mental?
Fern
Is it so crazy that I might miss you?
Terra
Yes, actually! I mean— [ Prodding her chest. ] I'm the one who walked out on you, aren't I! And you're... [ Her hands circle each other in agitated orbit. ] Completely flipping the script.
Fern
[ Hands in her pockets, she pushes off the pillar. Terra's perched right on the edge. ]
Fern
[ Inching closer. ] We don't have to follow a script.
Terra
[ Watching this self-assured swagger. Fern would like to think she's quite smooth, wouldn't she, sauntering about like an apex predator, as though they're hot-blooded twenty-somethings again and everything's new and dangerous. ]
Terra
It's not— [ She lowers her voice to the level of the lapping waves. ] It's not that simple. We're different people now. I've changed. [ And while everything looks rosy in this light, let's not forget they had problems long before any life-changing incidents occurred. ]
Fern
[ Her gaze sweeps across Terra's face, as if she can see what's changed. Same sharp eyebrows, same glimmer of magic in her dark irises, same cheekbones, same smooth line of her jaw. Nah. The difference is an invisible crack between them. ]
Fern
[ She draws to a halt just in front of Terra. Ruefully: ] I know we can't go back to how things were.
Fern
But... listen. Maybe if this all goes well. If we figure this place out, find your mate.
Fern
Maybe we could start over?
Terra
[ Start over. That doesn't sound so bad, does it? Better than hiding out with the Whale Road and avoiding all other sentient life forever. Wasn't she just lamenting the absence of an old confidante? ]
Terra
You don't want to see other people?
Fern
Have been. Those girls... we have fun. [ She slices a finger along her scar. ] But they didn't go through hell with me.
Terra
[ She looks from Fern's scar to the leafless tree crawling up her neck, a black bird diving between its spindly branches. You can't forget the people you go through hell with. Their roots are lodged too deep to pull out. ]
Terra
[ What would this new life with Fern look like? It's not as if she's going back to the Robber King. It takes certain kinds of fey to make a cross-court affair work, the sort who can handle busy partners and long absences. Are they any better at it now than they were then? All that effort for a pair of arms to fall asleep in, some nights. Not that she would turn her nose up at a bit of peace. ]
Terra
[ And all that aside, she has no idea how their mission will turn out. Fern is imagining a world in which they "succeed," whatever that means. But between the DSC and Soren himself, how close are they to catastrophe? ]
Terra
[ She grips her forearms. ] I've got a lot on my mind right now. I need to... think about it.
Fern
[ She won't say that wasn't what she was expecting. Lot to spring on a girl, especially one you haven't seen in three-odd years. ]
Fern
[ Softly. ] I know you do. And, no pressure. Thinking about it, that's all I'm asking for.
Terra
[ Her shoulders relax. ] Alright. I'll, er, let you know.
Terra
[ But she’s not going to make any serious decisions tonight. She’s had a number of major upheavals and more than a bit of fey wine. Right now, the most important thing is finding Soren. ]
Terra
[ At dusk, the abandoned military base erupts into revelry. Mismatched folding tables groan under an enormous spread of spiky fruits, multicoloured vegetables, and chunky sauces. At the centre is the huge, nacreous haunch of an overground beast, provided by the Court of the Lissome Light—as is the case nearly every solstice, though you'd think it was their first from the boasting. The Court of the Golden Hive distributes this year's honey wine—pale pink and perpetually misting, swathing the party in a rosy fog machine haze—in thrift store mugs handed out by the Court of the Robber King. The one pressed into her hands says, in cheeky cursive, Sorry for what I said before I had my coffee. ]
Terra
[ After lurking by the snack table, she picks her way round the dance floor, dodging gyrating hips and long-necked birds bobbing their beaks to the bassy thrum of the battery-powered boombox (Whale Road's offering). ] Sorry, excuse me...
Splintered Teeth second (NPC)
[ A tall woman whose partygoing face paint is dappled, in the manner of a leopard seal, claps Terra on the back as she passes. ] Nice play, truthseeker!
Terra
[ The hummingbird wings on her cheeks crease uncomfortably with her smile. She was ready to wash the paint off an hour ago. ] Meant every word. [ And now the orca is your problem. ]
Terra
[ Before the second can draw her into conversation, she steps over a possum playing dead and waves her way through a cloud of butterflies. ]
Vic
[ In a more subdued corner of the shop floor, the square teenager is talking to a mole who manages to be shorter than he is. The face paint around his eyes is black and white, and his outfit is dazzling, between his sleeveless fluffy coat and the body glitter—look, it's Star Chasers formal wear, he didn't choose it. Anyway, he's catching up with his old mentor. Not that one, the one from the Bounteous Loam. Taught him everything he knows about tunnel construction. ]
Bounteous Loam mole (NPC)
...and now this news of that psychic? [ She refuses to say "mageling". ] No wonder we're losing so many of our children to the Waking Dream.
Vic
[ Frowning into his ceramic red solo cup. ] Right, yeah...
Bounteous Loam mole (NPC)
[ She pauses, remembering which court her apprentice is from. ] That is—I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make light of what happened with...
Vic
[ Brushing it off. ] No, yeah, don't worry, I didn't think...
Bounteous Loam mole (NPC)
It's not losing children, is it, they chose to go.
Vic
Yeah, no, yeah. [ Steering the subject in a different direction. ] But I don't know, I figure it's better to get involved in the real world. Someone's gotta do it.
Terra
[ Squeezing out of a gap between dancers, mug clutched to her chest. ] Vic!
Vic
[ Back to Terra, he closes his eyes, counts three, and turns professionally. ] Terra. Hey.
Terra
[ Her courteous smile is strained. ] Good to see you again. [ He's got stubble now. It doesn't completely hide the youthful curve of his cheeks. ]
Terra
[ Noticing his conversation partner. ] And, er. [ What's the mole's name again? She's drawing a blank. ] ... You as well.
Bounteous Loam mole (NPC)
[ Lifting her decorative beer stein confusedly. She knows who Terra is, of course. ] You too. Vic and I were just chatting about everything that's happened since the last solstice. [ Glancing to him for confirmation. ] But I can leave you two alone...?
Vic
[ Shoulders stiff, but he nods. ] Yeah, that should be fine. We'll talk more later, alright?
Terra
[ As soon as the mole's out of earshot, she clears her throat. ] So. That was your... mentor? [ She glimpsed the back of Vic's arm as she was popping out of the crowd. Where a raven might've been, she saw the cracked earth of the Bounteous Loam. It's fine. Not like she's got a skunk anywhere. ]
Vic
[ Awkward, lifting his bicep. ] Yeah, finished my apprenticeship over there. It was like six months, but...
Terra
[ ... But not the length an apprenticeship ought to be. It feels like a bit of haunch is caught in her throat. ] And then you went back to the Star Chasers?
Vic
Uh huh. [ By way of "no shit". ]
Vic
[ He rakes back strands of bleached hair, tamping down irritation at the insincere small talk. ] Look, uh, did you need something, or...?
Terra
[ She takes a deep breath. Better this way. She always did hate going round the houses. ] I wanted to ask if we could start over.
Terra
[ The bits of her prepared speech got scrambled by Asha's surprise announcement, but the heart of it's the same. ] I wasn’t ready for an apprentice, back then, and that wasn’t fair to either of us. I couldn’t be there for you when you needed it, and I’m sorry for that.
Vic
[ Honestly? He wasn't sure what to expect out of this whole delegation situation. Not like he's talked to Terra at all the past couple years. This outcome is… not terrible. ]
Vic
Well... thanks. [ Pushing his cup from hand to hand. ] For apologizing.
Terra
[ A brisk nod. Vic's still a bit tense. Early into his apprenticeship, when she had time to teach, the reticent teenager hung on to her every word, the picture of an attentive, bright-eyed student. ]
Vic
[ It would be a "moment of silence" if they weren't, you know, standing next to a dance floor. ]
Vic
Water under the bridge, right? [ Haltingly. ] Like... I don't want to be buddy-buddy here, right, I just want to be coworkers.
Terra
[ The relief is bittersweet. She sticks out her hand, businesslike. ] Coworkers, then.
Vic
[ He takes her hand firmly. Okay, cool. ]
Terra
[ There. All settled. She washes back any regret with fey wine. ]
Vic
Speaking of coworkers… Alligator, six o'clock.
Terra
[ She inhales her drink too quickly. Coughing, she looks over her shoulder. ]
Fern
[ Sauntering over from the dance floor, all smiles. The pink and blue lights glitter off of the coat draped over her shoulders, and the sweat on her tattooed biceps. Her face paint is smudged. Just been dancing nose-to-nose with a bird from the Diaphanous Cloud, if Terra happened to see? All good, all good... ]
Fern
[ She joins the circle cheerily, slapping Vic on the back. ] Good seeing you, kid. Literally. You're lit up like the night sky, aren't you?
Vic
[ He glances away, fluffy collar lifting to his ears. ] Hell, it's nothing special. I mean, it is. Everyone's dressed—you know what I mean.
Terra
[ He's not the only one glowing. Fern's bright grin stretches from ear to ear. Her sweat-dappled skin shines under the hovering fairy lights. Someone's having fun. Last time they attended a solstice together, they had to be pried away from the dance floor. That was longer than three years ago. ]
Terra
Fern. [ Cautiously. ] Nice to see you.
Fern
[ She looks Terra up and down, from linen camisole to hummingbird makeup. ] You too. You... look good.
Terra
[ Didn’t expect that tone. Or the once-over. Her arm crosses her torso. ] Thanks.
Terra
[ On the edge of the dance floor, a woman in a downy coat treats Fern’s back to a lingering look, and struts off to the refreshments. She raises her eyebrows. ] Who was that?
Fern
Oh, her? Local bird. Heron.
Terra
Right. [ Feather-chaser. ]
Vic
[ Yeah, okay, he can read the room. ]
Vic
[ Jerking a thumb over his shoulder. ] Hey, I gotta go catch up with someone. Team meeting later, alright?
Fern
[ Squeezing his shoulder as he leaves. ] See you. [ Surreptitiously wiping glitter off on her trousers. ]
Terra
[ The shaved back of Vic's head, and the tattoo from the Bounteous Loam, disappear behind feathered and furred revellers. That could've gone much worse. Could've gone better, too. But you take what you get. ]
Terra
So... [ Her thumb passes over the sharp-toothed symbol on her wrist. ] You two stayed in touch?
Fern
[ She tucks the wrist with the hummingbird on it into her pocket. ] He's a smart kid. Wouldn't be surprised if he's hosting the moot one day.
Terra
Be a sight to see. [ Proudest day of his mentor's life, that. ]
Fern
Yeah. [ She tugs her coat on, with a glance over her shoulder at the current DJ. Sorry Kylie, but duty calls. ] Listen... you want to get out of here? Walk and talk?
Terra
[ She scrutinizes Fern’s expression. ]
Terra
... Yeah, alright. [ She slings her own shimmering coat around her shoulders and gestures ahead. ] Can't hear myself think here, anyway.
Terra
[ Their feet take them to the ancient dining hall. One of the walls has been torn away, baring the mottled wood to the open sea. Some metres out, a pod of marine fey slap a volleyball between hands and fins. Moonlight washes the floating base in a pale glow, and the motes of light drifting from the shop floor colour the silver with rose. ]
Terra
[ Fern is exactly the same the same as she remembers. Same easygoing chatter, same deliberate stride. Her laugh lines are deeper, maybe. Hard to tell with the face paint. The sea breeze whistles through the generous space between them. ]
Fern
...How's Dominic? [ She still has his mobile number, but Terra's brother has never been involved in court life. Been fewer and fewer reasons to use it. ]
Terra
Still in London. Still doing quite well for himself, last I heard. [ She scuffs her foot. ] I don't know how he stands it, honestly. [ Between the untenable cost of living and the DSC round every corner... well, she never managed to avoid them as dextrously. ]
Fern
[ Ambling alongside. ] Reckon the paper would be fucked without him.
Fern
And... you? [ She softens the patter a little, testing the waters. ] How've you been? [ Terra's not got her pendant on, she's noticed. ]
Terra
[ Almost as soon as the words are out of Fern’s mouth: ] Fine.
Terra
[ Come on. Fern’s not your enemy. She exhales and tips her head, following the lazy circle of a fairy light. ] I'm better. Really.
Fern
[ Watching Terra sidelong. ] Yeah?
Terra
Yeah.
Terra
[ She is overcome by the urge to spill her guts to her ex-partner. She's better, yeah. Still confined to a court away from the life she spent fifteen years building, purely out of her own stubbornness. Her greying dad's been happy to see her, of course. He doesn't make up for the mind-numbing boredom of the day—update a fey path, repair a ward script, watch a young Whale Road fey take on their first apprentice, rinse and repeat—or the loneliness of a single bedroll. To think, she used to hate sharing blankets. ]
Terra
... I'm good. [ A little shrug. ] Not ecstatic about going back, but there you go. What about you, how've you been?
Fern
Good, good. [ Seems like the conversation's moving on. Not about to push, is she... ] You know how it is. Asha manages to keep me busier than the kiddos.
Terra
I'll bet. Congratulations on making second, by the way. [ She burrows her hands into her pockets. ] I didn't realize you and Asha were that close.
Fern
Neither did I. Surprised she even asked me, if I'm being honest. [ She flexes the raven on her bicep proudly. ] But I'm not about to say no to serving my court.
Terra
[ Her eyes trace the curve of the bird’s wing along Fern’s arm. ] Suits you.
Terra
[ Is Fern happier now? She doesn't ask. Reckon she wouldn't like either answer. ]
Fern
[ She drifts over to one of the support pillars overlooking the water, leaning against it. Far below, the selkies frolic, but she peeks at Terra in her peripheral vision. Is she really happier in the Whale Road? Doesn't look it. Does she miss the old crew? Guess there's no point wondering now. ]
Terra
[ Fern's got a sort of look in her eye. Or maybe it's the light off the sea, doing funny things. ]
Terra
[ On the edge of the wood paneling, she toes the curve of grit where the wall once was. A line of dust crumbles into the water. ] Fern, about the vote…
Fern
[ Terra has a look in her eye, too, and it’s keener than the moment would suggest. ] Yeah?
Terra
Did you set that up?
Fern
[ A surprised chuckle. ] Noticed that, did you?
Fern
Yeah, I talked to a few folks in advance. Vic. [ Business as usual, for a fey moot. ] Didn't predict that orca. But I thought you might volunteer, so. [ Shrugging. ] Asked around, just in case you did.
Terra
Can I ask why?
Fern
You're the best person for the job. Scrying magic, and all. And given who's involved... I figured you'd want in.
Terra
[ She nods, slowly. She is the obvious choice, drama notwithstanding. When she'd been up there, in front of everyone, she thought the same thing. ]
Terra
[ She tips her head up, and at an angle. ] Put like that, it almost sounds selfless.
Fern
[ Scar tugging as she shows a tooth. ] Maybe not that selfless.
Terra
[ No trick of the light this time. The warmth of the honey wine tingles in her arms, in the pit of her stomach. Three years of self-imposed exile, a little look in the right light, and suddenly she's never heard of a dead bedroom. ]
Terra
Alright. Last question.
Terra
[ She brandishes her hand incredulously. ] Are you mental?
Fern
Is it so crazy that I might miss you?
Terra
Yes, actually! I mean— [ Prodding her chest. ] I'm the one who walked out on you, aren't I! And you're... [ Her hands circle each other in agitated orbit. ] Completely flipping the script.
Fern
[ Hands in her pockets, she pushes off the pillar. Terra's perched right on the edge. ]
Fern
[ Inching closer. ] We don't have to follow a script.
Terra
[ Watching this self-assured swagger. Fern would like to think she's quite smooth, wouldn't she, sauntering about like an apex predator, as though they're hot-blooded twenty-somethings again and everything's new and dangerous. ]
Terra
It's not— [ She lowers her voice to the level of the lapping waves. ] It's not that simple. We're different people now. I've changed. [ And while everything looks rosy in this light, let's not forget they had problems long before any life-changing incidents occurred. ]
Fern
[ Her gaze sweeps across Terra's face, as if she can see what's changed. Same sharp eyebrows, same glimmer of magic in her dark irises, same cheekbones, same smooth line of her jaw. Nah. The difference is an invisible crack between them. ]
Fern
[ She draws to a halt just in front of Terra. Ruefully: ] I know we can't go back to how things were.
Fern
But... listen. Maybe if this all goes well. If we figure this place out, find your mate.
Fern
Maybe we could start over?
Terra
[ Start over. That doesn't sound so bad, does it? Better than hiding out with the Whale Road and avoiding all other sentient life forever. Wasn't she just lamenting the absence of an old confidante? ]
Terra
You don't want to see other people?
Fern
Have been. Those girls... we have fun. [ She slices a finger along her scar. ] But they didn't go through hell with me.
Terra
[ She looks from Fern's scar to the leafless tree crawling up her neck, a black bird diving between its spindly branches. You can't forget the people you go through hell with. Their roots are lodged too deep to pull out. ]
Terra
[ What would this new life with Fern look like? It's not as if she's going back to the Robber King. It takes certain kinds of fey to make a cross-court affair work, the sort who can handle busy partners and long absences. Are they any better at it now than they were then? All that effort for a pair of arms to fall asleep in, some nights. Not that she would turn her nose up at a bit of peace. ]
Terra
[ And all that aside, she has no idea how their mission will turn out. Fern is imagining a world in which they "succeed," whatever that means. But between the DSC and Soren himself, how close are they to catastrophe? ]
Terra
[ She grips her forearms. ] I've got a lot on my mind right now. I need to... think about it.
Fern
[ She won't say that wasn't what she was expecting. Lot to spring on a girl, especially one you haven't seen in three-odd years. ]
Fern
[ Softly. ] I know you do. And, no pressure. Thinking about it, that's all I'm asking for.
Terra
[ Her shoulders relax. ] Alright. I'll, er, let you know.
Terra
[ But she’s not going to make any serious decisions tonight. She’s had a number of major upheavals and more than a bit of fey wine. Right now, the most important thing is finding Soren. ]
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