The gathered crew listened as Euryleia tried to explain....and it went right over them.  They were seasoned spacers and had seen a lot of strange things out in the void, but...  Temporal subspace?  This didn't make much sense to most any of them.  A few seemed willing to buy it, Kinsey the engineer chief among them, but overall the crew didn't know what to make of it.   At least until Brun said the name "Malagant."  That name got their full attention.  A wild murmur began to ripple around as they started to discuss.

Captain Smalls though focused on other details, or, rather, the lack thereof, "I don't really follow a lot of that..."  The Captain scratched at his bald head, "But, some weird shit tends to follow Ser Brun and you around, Lady.  And I didn't follow all that stuff either."  He leveled a finger at the momentarily oblivious Knight, "I'm not sure all of him came back."  He then turned that finger on Euryleia herself, "And...  shit...  Seems like /more/ of you came back.  Or is it less?
This message was last edited by the player at 11:02, Sat 23 Dec 2023.

Euryleia turned her attention to the Captain and his non-questions.  At the mention of not all of Brun coming back, her expression drifted to sadness and she spared a look to her Knight.  When her returned state was mentioned, her resolve hardened again, "It really is Ser Brun.  All of him.  All of the Bruns that have been and might be.  All at once."  Her tone said she knew that answer would also not be helpful and that she seemed to find it unhelpful as well.

Brun, hearing his name, turned to regard Euryleia, "Ser?  No.  I'm a Chief.  I work for a living."  He smiled a bit at his joke.  Euryleia tried to smile back.  It was hard.  A few of the Thames crew found it funny and started to laugh, but it just didn't feel right to laugh somehow.

Euryleia answered Brun in that calm, steady tone she seemed to mostly use with him, "Of course, Chief."  Irina might recognize it as close to Euryleia's interface voice the first time they met.  The Lady looked back again to the Captain, "I /am/ quite a bit shorter than I was.  Sadly.  But, I have become /more/ in other ways."  She turned to look around at the gathered, taking a moment to check in on Meara and Irina as well, adding, "He is still my Knight and I am still his Lady.  Just....different.
"

"Your Majesty, your Highness, forgive the intrusion," MerLn said as he materialized suddenly before the Queen could reply to her Nephew. "I assume you would want to be informed immediately. There's been a development..."

---

What MerLN said had been true. Euryleia and Brun had indeed been found alive and well. Word spread quickly when Thames docked. By the time its passengers disembarked, the corridors were filled with onlookers.  Many came to see the Knight thought dead. The Knight reborn. Not just the common folk, but other Knights too.

The crowd made it difficult to answer the summons from Queen La Guin. Meara and Brun had been charged to provide answers before the Crown.

So much for a quiet entry, thought Euryleia as she looked out the hatchway at the gathered crowd.  At her once-normal size, clearing a path would have been quite easy, but now....  Captain Smalls and a band of cargo handlers were doing all they could to keep the crowd back from the hatch, much less making a path through.  Shaking her head, she turned back to Brun, Meara, and Irina, "There doesn't seem to be an easy way to go about this.  We'll just have to make our way through as best we can."

Brun caught her look and shrugged lightly, "They are /very/ excited about the wedding.  Everyone's been looking forward to it."  He turned to look at Meara, a soft apologetic smile, "I know it isn't what you wanted, but we can at least have a nice party, perhaps?"  To Irina, he added with an even gentler (more apologetic?) smile, "It might be best for you to stay here.  Out of sight."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:58, Sun 24 Dec 2023.

Nobody was prepared for the crowds upon their return.  Least of all Meara.  With Brun being lost in the futurepast of possibilities and Euryleia not being an Armour anymore, it was up to the crew of the Thames to carve a path.  Irina was no slouch, but one had to consider the differences of mass, so she was left relying on the others to make their way through.

While Irina raised an eyebrow at Brun's comment, but otherwise was determined to answer the summons with Meara (as she figured she could be the voice of reason with Brun's mind being elsewhere and, as much as she adored Meara's epiphanies, she knew that they weren't something to be relied upon when it comes to theoretical physics at this level).

With everyone focusing on getting through, nobody noticed that one of their members was missing on the way.

Meanwhile, Meara found herself separated from the group and surrounded by people asking question after question - a downside to making herself seem so approachable and one she never thought about until now (not that it would stop her from doing so in the future).  Frazzled, drained, and unable to muster any resistance, she did her best to explain what she could without mentioning the G.R.A.I.L. or anything related to it.

It went something like this:

"Ah... w-we went to... uh... collect... salvage!  Yes!  We went to collect salvage from the b-battle so we could ret-turn things to their respective houses.  Y-yes.  W-while we were there, Sir Brun and Lady Euryleia suddenly ap-ppeared in the sh-shuttle!  Without even a plip sound!"

Princess of the People compelled.
12:43, Today: Meara rolled 2 using 4 Fudge dice ((0, 1, 1, 0)).
Somehow she got a 2 on her Cunning roll to tell quarter-truths, because let's face it, this isn't even a half-truth at this point.
Also she's absolutely going to be late to the meeting.

Meara captured the people's attention as she spoke and this allowed the others to slip through the crowd. A murmur passed through those gathered as the princess addressed them."A miracle. A miracle," they whispered, "The Knight and his Lady...a miracle."

---

Brun, Euryleia, and Irina arrived at the hall to which they were summoned. They Valkyries who stood guard admitted Brun and Euryleia, but prevented Irina from entering,"Only those summoned may enter, Lady."

"What do you mean, 'only those summoned may enter?' I'm with Princess Me-where did she go?!" Irina began to reply before finally noticing that her beloved had ended up being pulled away by the crowd.

Turning to Brun and Euryleia, she said, "Go in without me.  I'll find her."

---

Meanwhile, Meara desperately attempted to find a path through the crowd proclaiming miracles - which she didn't entirely disagree with herself, even if she was sure Irina could explain it with those big words and fancy terms she used that made her eyes light up so much - but didn't make much headway.  She did, at least, manage to send a message to Irina stating where she currently was.

---

The moment Irina got the message, she told the Valkyries and requested assistance in locating and retrieving Meara.  Whether or not she would be allowed to assist was, however, beyond her control at this point.  One doesn't argue with the Queen's Guard about such things.

The crowd parted as best it could to allow Meara to pass once it was clear that she wanted to go. They had no wish to impede the Fury.

---

"At last," the Queen said as the Princess Meara entered alone. Lady Irina was not permitted to enter. "Your Majesty," MerLN said once all four were present. Only then did Queen Valerie turn away from the window to face them. She was dressed entirely in black and she wore a long veil making it impossible to see her features.

"Lady Euryleia, Sir Brun. You have returned. How is this possible?"

Gwydion's consciousness came back sharply when Brun and Euryleia stepped inside, and he stared in confusion for a long moment before approaching. His reaction was almost a reenactment of Meara's, looking Brun up and down as he stepped around the Knight, scrutinizing Brun's butt for a moment longer than was probably appropriate, and then nodding once he reached the starting point of his circle again. Then, without further warning, he threw his arms around Brun for a weak and poorly-coordinated hug. The Lady got a bleary wave in the middle of the hug, a wide smile on the exhausted Prince's face.

Euryleia dislike the idea of letting Irina run back herself, even with the guards, but she felt strongly that she shouldn't leave Brun as he was and that he would likely not be much help if he went.  So, she let Irina go and lead Brun inside the chambers.  Brun slowly looked around the chamber in his current odd way, then settled on Gwydion...who was staring back at him.  Something settled in his look and the confusion seemed to clear away.  When Gwydion approached and began to circle him, Brun stayed as still as he could, figuring he would have wanted to do much the same if the situation was reversed.  The too-long linger on his rear got a bit of an embarrassed eyeroll, but Brun still did not interrupt him.  The hug was a surprise, but Brun hugged his friend back gently, saying quietly, "It's me.  And it's very good to see you, too."

Euryleia relaxed as she watched the reunion as Brun seemed to be in a very good timeframe for this moment.  She smiled back and bowed her head at his recognition of her as well.  Having the time, she decided to look to the Queen, to see how /she/ was seeming to take all this...and everything else...

When Meara arrived and the Queen asked for an explanation, Brun gently extricated himself from the hug and made a respectful bow, "Your Majesty, it is....not possible.  Should not have been possible, and yet...  Here we are."  He extended a hand back to the momentarily stunned Euryleia, who quickly stepped up along side him and took the hand.  For the first time since their miraculous return, Euryleia looked happy.  Brun seemed to have fortunately slid into a near current timeframe and she was grateful to have him back for the moment.

Squeezing his Lady's hand gently, Brun tried to explain, much in the same way Euryleia had, "We /had/ resigned ourselves to die there in the depths of the dragon to see it ended.  We found ourselves in a space filled with technology that seemed alien to the rest of the dragon.  Technology which seemed akin to Dr. Locke's machine.  We did not have much time to analyze it before...  He faltered then, brow creasing, "Before.../the end/...  I'm not clear how, but some confluence of energies, from Dr. Locke's technology to high levels of Wyrm-gate particles...  We were shunted into a parallel space...a sub space outside of "normal" spacetime as we understand it...  My recollection becomes difficult after that..."  He looked over to Euryleia to assist.

Euryleia is gonna try to get a read on the Queen while they wait and begin.  Warrior's Eyes allows her to switch Melee for Chivalry to get a read on people.  Studying movement, physical cues, likely surface scans (heart rate, temp, etc)

Overcome Total +7

21:34, Today: Euryleia rolled 2 using 4 Fudge dice with rolls of 1, -1, 1, 1.  Overcome - Melee +5 - To Read the Queen.

This message was last edited by the player at 02:37, Wed 27 Dec 2023.

Euryleia smiled at the familiar look there, the rightness of him being "now", and gave a soft nod.  She then took up the explanation for the benefit of the Queen and all else gathered here, "I am not sure how to explain a place like that in an understandable way.  The experience of it seems to be overwhelming to the human mind."  She had to force herself not to turn back to Brun at that thought, but he helpfully squeezed her hand in support.  She decided to focus on more understandable and important facts, than dwelling on /that/ for now, "At the end-moment, I became bonded with some of Dr. Locke's machine.  A part of the G.R.A.I.L itself.  I was able to use this to keep my Knight alive, while I learned what else I might be able to accomplish.  There is no way of saying exactly how long we were there, but it was much, much longer for us there than the time that passed here.  I guessed that the points that we had discovered might correspond to weak points we could exploit.  I was able to move us to the next point, the Martian point, and discovered a rescue shuttle waiting on the other side. Or, it would be waiting.  I used some of my Armour-self to create this new shape.  The rest I was able to re-purpose to power our escape to the shuttle."  Euryleia quietly wondered if this would ever become easier or if she would just no longer be called upon to try and explain it.

The Queen listened impassively to Brun and Euryleia's tale  until they finished speaking, "An incredible occurrence, truly. We are grateful for your return and for your service. Were there...any others in this subspace? Others who may have been caught in the same confluence as yourselves?"

OOC: Euryleia noticed that the Queen remains unnaturally still during the conversation. Normally people exhibit slight movements while listening. For, example turning the head slightly to regard a new speaker. Yet, outside of breathing or speaking, she was unusually still.

As she noted the unnatural stillness, Euryleia partitioned her view to continue comparing the Queen's stillness from when they arrived to now.
Humans were inconsistent, especially physically. Even when they tried, they couldn't manage true stillness.  Though perhaps emotional strain could cause autonomic....  She left her analysis running as she took up her answer at the appropriate time.

They looked to each other as the Queen asked her question.  Each hoping to see a better answer waiting with the other.  Neither did...  It was Euryleia who answered for them, "At this time, I have no evidence that any others were there, Your Majesty.  I also have no evidence that they were not."

Brun's shoulders sagged slightly as he turned back to the Queen as well, "I am sorry that we do not have a better answer, your Majesty.  But, we will, of course, review what we can.  Perhaps we can find a way to scan the other space.". He hoped they could and he had every intention to try.

Not wanting to make things worse, Meara held her tongue.  She knew what was being hinted at, and she also knew that everyone in the room was thinking the same thing.  But putting it into words might be too much right now.  Auntie Val was barely holding herself together, much like Meara.  At least, that's how it appeared to her.  Try as she might, the only thing she could think of related to an attempt at such a feat was "probably incredibly dangerous."  Were the people willing to risk it?  Quite likely!

Could they afford the cost of failure?

Absolutely not.

Always willing to help, Meara awaited the Queen's reply, and hoped she would be able to give her aunt a much-needed hug for the both of them.

"You have both been through much. Rest and recover yourselves. MerLN will follow up with you when you are ready. You may take your leave. We wish to speak with the Prince and Princess alone." The Queen's voice was steady and did not betray the disappointment she must have felt.

---

"Perhaps I acted in haste in sending Dame Freyr to instruct the next generation of Venusian Knights. It seems that her lessons are easily forgotten by her pupils," the Queen began once Sir Brun and Lady Euryleia had departed. "What good are Knights who are disobedient? What good is a Princess who puts her own desires before her Kingdom?"

Blinking a few times while staring at the queen in surprise, Meara asked, "Forgive me, but what orders did I disobey?  I have received no orders or requests from Your Majesty since the battle, and Your Majesty never replied to my requests for orders or a meeting.  All I have done is continue the mission given to me by you and-"

She tried to continue, but Arthur's name got caught in her throat, tears forming in her eyes.  She did not, however, allow her emotions to cause her to lose her rational mind.  Her voice was one of forced control.

"If I had heard anything from you, I would have listened.  As for putting myself at risk, I did not even leave the Thames.  Only Iri went with the pilot due to her prior encounters and knowledge."

Once Meara had arrived, Gwydion moved close to her. Almost protectively, in fact. After listening to the Queen and his cousin go back and forth, he took a step forward with clear concern on his face.

"Aunt Val, this isn't like you," said the prince who went mad with grief. "You've never been one to lock yourself away from us. And now admonishing our Meara after she's just brought back two of our heroes? I'm sorry, I was so wrapped up in bringing him back that I didn't see you needed us more than ever. We're here now, and we love you. We'll make sure everything will be alright, right Meara? You needn't worry yourself. I'm going to fix everything for you."

"You are no longer a child, Meara, who needs must be told right from wrong. You are a woman grown on whose choices many lives depend. The time for childish justifications and frivolity is behind you. The safety and security of your Kingdom and your people is your only measure from this point forward," the Queen responded.

"He is gone, young Prince. The sooner we accept this truth, the more able we are to carry forward. Our world is forever darker, but our duty does not allow the luxury of pretending otherwise, " she said dismissing Gwydion's reassurances.

The Queen continued, "As I have already informed the Prince in your absence, the two of you will be married. The heir you produce will ensure the security and unity of Earth and Venus. Your current engagements must be broken, of course. There can be no threat to the line of succession. Humanity rests upon a blade's edge and is now more vulnerable than ever."

Meara didn't look shocked or surprised at the news.  In fact, she didn't look much of anything.  At least at first.

Slowly, a dark mood covered her, her gaze hardened, and her voice became eerily calm.

"Lift your veil, Auntie, and look me in the eyes."

Was she being disrespectful?  Absolutely.  But something was definitely off.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:59, Thu 28 Dec 2023.

Queen Valerie went incredibly still, "Spoken like the Queen you must become." Instead of a rebuke she sounded proud.

She reached up and lifted her mourning veil. Her eyes were unfocused, unseeing. "Now, you understand why you must guide the kingdom. Venus must always have a warrior queen. I am not fit to task in my current state. It will take me some time to adapt to my condition. Time we can ill afford. You must be named my heir and succeeded me upon your marriage to Prince Gwydion."

Meara's anger faded immediately upon seeing her Aunt's condition.  Instead of scolding or yelling back, she immediately stepped forward and hugged the queen tightly.

"I will do everything I can to support you and the people.  I cannot abandon Iri, but with your wisdom and her brilliance, I am certain we can figure something out that will not bring about scandal or cause questions to my - our - legitimacy to rule.  I may become Queen in name, but I will always lend an ear to you and your knowledge.  Gwydion and I shall do this, if for no other reason than to ease the burden that has been unfairly placed upon your shoulders," she said, her usual empathy shining through.

"But for now, please... let yourself cry.  I know you have been staying strong, but in the end, even Royalty is human, with all that entails."

Gwydion held back his own reply to his aunt, letting Meara's insight (and clearer thinking) lead the way this time. Once he saw what was really going on, he stepped into the hug as well.

"We're here, Aunt Val. We love you, and we've got you. I promise we'll do our best for everyone."

"What do I do now?" Brun lamented into his mug, seated at the desk in his quarters, "I trusted them...  Why did I /trust/ them?"

Euryleia was seated on the bed, listening calmly to a Brun she knew, but had never truly met.  She silently wished she had found a way to easily pull him back to now.  Back to her.  But it wasn't easy.  Uncharted territory.  As far as she could tell, there was little research into temporal mechanics or philosophy at all, much less about this specific situation.  She disliked not having a base of knowledge to build from.

"Because," began Euryleia to the lovelorn Past-Brun, "You are a good person who wanted to find someone to trust.  To rely on.  I'm sorry they weren't that for you."

Brun swirled his mug idly, staring into the depths, "That's a very nice way of saying I'm a fool..."

Euryleia smiled gently, "People in love do all sorts of foolish things.  They /try/.  And they hope."

She moved her concentration back to her work on the Queen's injuries, leaving enough just enough processing available to listen and continue assisting Brun gently through this breakup.  Euryleia had reviewed quite a lot of data on the Queen and had become convinced that her vision had been severely damaged.

Reviewing the battle against Ember-rend revealed a statistical likelihood of photic retinopathy, or possibly photokeratitis  from various sources throughout the engagement.  She studiously avoided sections dealing with their attempted martyrdom.  Not pertinent to this investigation.

There was a basis for these possible injuries from others at the battle; though none considered irreversible.  Armour safety systems should counter in most circumstances.  Most.

It could also be psychosomatic.  A conversion disorder brought on by grief and manifesting as visual impairment.

Euryleia decided to concentrate on the purely physiological injuries and that the injury had been deemed long-term or permanent.  She would be unable to repair purely psychological issues, therefore it was not worth planning for.  If the damage was not long-term, then the Queen likely would not have attempted to hide the disability.

Euryleia always preferred to focus on problems she could resolve.  She was more used to that resolution involving tearing her enemies apart.  The possibility of repairing damage was a new and fascinating one for her.  She continued her studies into the structure of the human eye and began simulating attempts at the restoration.

Lore Create Advantage - Total +6

Once she has established various possible plans to restore sight for the most statistically likely physical issues, Euryleia would contact the Queen, and MerLN if the Queen is unable/unwilling to respond, and make her restoration proposal.

14:22, Today: Euryleia rolled 3 using 4 Fudge dice with rolls of 1, 1, 0, 1.  Create Advantage - Lore +3(+2 from Database Access). – 3


This message was last edited by the player at 20:42, Tue 02 Jan.

MerLN was able to confirm that Euryleia's diagnosis of the Queen's condition was correct. She had sustained the injury during the fight with Ember-Rend after her armour's photodampeners had been disabled. She had undergone treatment after the battle, but the damage had been severe and the medical options limited. Euryleia, however, offered a solution. With her help, it would be possible for the Queen to regain her sight.

MerLN and Euryleia also discussed the experience that she and Brun had undergone and what insights they may learn from it.

Though it was perhaps not the state of affairs or the future that the Knights of Avaluna had imagined for themselves, in the face of loss and adversity, they endured.

OOC: That'll be a standard success! Euryleia provides permission for the consequence to begin healing.

Gwydion got a day's rest before being able to confront Iliza about the goings-on. There was a lot to process, and he couldn't do it half-dead. By the time the pair got to speak, he was already getting filled with anxiety about the things he hadn't had time to worry about earlier. Fortunately, he was still able to put on a small smile and hold her for a bit before explaining the Queen's orders regarding the wedding arrangements. He was very clear about his intentions to not lose her, regardless of what it would take. They'd been through so much already, and their lives had been upturned repeatedly in just a few short months. Iliza was his stabilizing force, the presence that grounded him and kept him thinking clearly. Gwydion wasn't going to give up on being with her, even if he was going to marry Meara. As he put it, he was a prince and could do what he liked.

With all that was going on, Gwydion decided to let Rose know he was going to take more breaks and bring in some more help on their projects. Euryleia's experience both having gone through an unfathomable dimension using Dr Locke's work would be able to help them resurrect the King, while Brun's understanding of Armour design would help them with the redesign of Dyrnwyn. Playing defensive behind a shield simply didn't suit him so well. What the Prince needed was something his calculating mind could make better use of while remaining unpredictable. A flaming blade able to cut through spacetime itself. It was time to get weird.
This message was last edited by the player at 09:46, Wed 03 Jan.