"Good morning Lance !" Jade said cheerily.

"Not to worry, I don't think anyone is going to walk the pattern today."
Cheerful but looking tired.

*Smiles* "Yes, we listened to our resident experts advice" he places his order or bacon, toast and eggs. Looks around "So where is the bell of the ball?  Being fashionably late?" *chuckles* "So like the Fae"

"She researched more, I saw her bringing a bunch of books to her room. So she might still be asleep. Maybe you will all heal up at the same time and we will get to see you all walk the Pattern."

Jade looks to the door for a few moments.

Say the devil's name often enough, and she appears? Maybe it's something like that? Regardless, here's Ballad! The very picture of radiant health and bright-eyed readiness for the day.

Fashion notes for the curious: Today Ballad’s hair is a silvery gold cloud; gathered into a messy mohawk braid, with twists and tucks here and there, into which black jewelled combs gleam, quite fairy tale punk or otherworld haute couture. Her tunic is v-necked and the pale green of winter ice, belted (the belt’s black) tight at the waist, with great swoopy sleeves and a kiss of silvery embroidery at the wrists and elbows, also little, tiny black freshwater pearls. Dashing boots, black, well-fitted trousers, and she’s ready for adventure or stay-at-home languor.

First things first: “Coffee, my wondrous, fair-handed purveyor of the first delight of my morning!" she hails a, possibly by now wide-eyed, servant. She draws said servant in Conspiracy, miming a flask-pour, "And I wouldn't be at all put out should you put in a drop or two of something yet stronger." Aka, Amber-equivalent-Irish Coffee, please. "To break my fast, I shall be carnivorous; bring me something with meat."

Then a beeline to her cousins. Now, bees don't actually fly in a direct line. They explore, they meander, so what this really means is she takes the long way to her cousins' table so she can look out the window at the view and perhaps collect coffee ere she even sits down, but sit down she does with a, "Hallo, friends! Good morning that has you in it."

"Hi Ballad, we were just talking about you. I hope you slept well."
She gave her cousin a bright smile. She wondered if Lance might not get a chair for her.

"I was going to share what we discovered last night."

*grins* "Ah, there she is. You look well rested." waves her over "As Jade said she was waiting for us to Assemble, before revealing what you two discovered."

"Yes and now that everyone is here, I will begin."

"In an account by the King himself I discovered a passage where he describes battle with the Grey Men, and some of their strengths and weaknesses."

She looked to them all, "As some of you have described their skin seems to be tough perhaps like leather armor, but also their bones are thick and strong. Cutting them with slashes or trying to break their bones is so difficult you may wish to use piercing weaponry, arrows, spears, bolts, a good trident instead. Their head not including the neck is their weak point but still remember it's skull is like a helmet. The eyes are a weak point if your close enough to take advantage of it. They can also be confused or dazed if struck in the head. So they probably have evolved away from needing to bite, though with those teeth they haven't completely moved on from that. I spoke a bit with our cousin Ariadne here, who used an alchemical potion made of hot peppers to spray these beings and it proved to work. So certain attacks beyond those of war might prove useful. Poison, herbs, certain extracts from animals or plants. So we now have a more complete knowledge of what may work well against these beings."

  Lance does indeed offer a chair to Ballad, and to any of the ladies who have not yet sat themselves.  He moves with the occasional wince as his wound reminds him that it is yet there.

  "I wound up stabbing mine through the throat.  That seemed to do the trick.  Fire seems to have some effect on them too, but not more I think than upon anyone else." 

  Seeing that everyone else is seated, he reseats himself.

  "First night in a new place, guess I wasn't quite tired enough to sleep well."

"I had nightmares, about these Grey Men. So I didn't sleep well at all."

Looking to Lance, "Stabbing that makes sense. I think the piercing nature of that probably helped more then a slash would have." Realizing her nerdy bookworm studiousness was showing she got quiet and enjoyed her meal for a bit.

Ballad looks inquiring when Jade says they were just talking about her, in case it was something other than where is Ballad anyway. She is an impartial bestower of smiles; everybody gets one and she really does seem pleased to see them all, because who wouldn’t? They’re all so pretty it’s hard not to gaze: Lance's golden divinity, Ariadne's heartbreak intensity, Jade's exquisite dreamy shimmer; even Jon, classically handsome.

Though as Lance is the one to offer her a chair Lance is the one she bumps against, a physically affectionate thank you, before she drops and crosses her legs leans back general swagger etc. He also gets a close look when she catches a wince, and here's another inquiring look: you okay?

“What ‘we’ discovered?” Ballad says, sipping her coffee, thank you very much to the servant who brought it. “You’re generous; I got nothing useful out of the books last night.” She offers Jon a smile-only-in-the-eyes when he says she looks well rested, then listens to Jade's discovery and Ariadne's contribution.

"That's interesting about this pepper spray stuff. Perhaps useful for a trap, if only we can construct a net or cage that they can't bite or slash their way out of. I have a tooth we might use to test materials." Yes, that's right: she is nonchalant about ownership of a gray man's tooth. Don't ask.

The reports of troubled sleep get sympathetic looks. Her default is vivacity, is passion - and that sometimes broadens to compassion. "I'm sorry to hear you didn't sleep well." That's to Jade and Lance, and perhaps to Ari and Jon as well? She includes them in a thoughtful look before asking Lance: "But then you'll be waiting to walk?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:17, Fri 27 Nov 2020.

  At Ballad's inquiring look, Lance gives a small, almost imperceptible shake of his head.

  Shortly after, when she asks if he'll be waiting to walk he nods sheepishly, "Yeah, I don't think I can handle it today.  Thinking I'm going to grab a book and retire to bed all day and see how I feel tomorrow."

“Will you want company later?” She’s offering. “Perhaps the library will have a copy of that Earth play and we can do a restful read aloud.” Here’s another smile that’s only in the eyes.

To the general table: “Actually, fellows--what are everybody’s plans for today? Ari, will you be spending it with your Dad, or can I tempt you to Bloody Mary's this evening? Jon, what about our ride? It doesn't need be midnight. Or are you walking? Jade, for you will it be library and time spent with your mother?”

  Lance nods at Ballad's suggestion, trying unsuccessfully to mute the blush and grin that comes along with it.  The thought of laying in bed with Ballad and Midsummer is something he would dare not voice lest it burst and vanish like a soap bubble.

  "That would be wonderful, Ballad."

  In his head he wondered how he could manage to have some brie and sweet grapes and a bottle of Beaujolais at hand without looking too much the obvious.

"I am not sure if my mother will be free, though I hope so."

Jade looks a bit lost in her thoughts for a moment.
"I will have to see if she is here now."

Ariadne nodded in thought
"I definitely need to check in with my father, but I'm sure he's busy catching up with his old friends as well.  Though I'm sure he'd want me to meet my new family too.  So Bloody Marys sound delightful, I'll admit.   i need to take it easy for a bit, as well.  These Grey assholes leave wounds that are hard to heal, it seems."

The servers brought Ari a plate of pancakes topped  with fruit and syrup, with a side of ham and eggs.
She dug in hungrily

“Then it shall be,” Ballad tells Lance, her glance at him a promissory note.

“I hope so, too,” Ballad says to Jade, ardently, with her whole heart there on her sleeve, and no little desire to corrall her elusive enchantress aunt—and for Jade to get some time with her mother, that too. Ballad expects Flora to want to spend time with Lance, as well. Half-expects it, anyway.

And to Ariadne’s more-or-less-yes to a Bloody Mary’s jaunt, here’s the curl of a grin: “Like I said before, from what I’ve heard it’s a bit of a — what’s the right slang? Rather rough, but if you’re up to it, I’m there with bells.” More solemnly: "But Ari, I'd truly count it an honor to meet your Dad. What's he like?"

Ariadne, despite being obviously a bit stressed and distracted, smiled at Ballad's question about her father
"My father is a surprisingly quiet man, considering he's from this place originally.    He's a scholar and historian, or at least he was there.  I always thought of him as a bit of a stuffy intellectual, to be honest, but he always had a good heart and a good grasp of any situation, and all this happened so fast that I'll admit that I never really knew who was here in Amber, or if he was different. "

"If my mother is not available do you mind if I join you two ?"

“I realize I don’t know how you came to Amber; only the instigating incident. Did your dad have a card and pull you here after the gray men struck or did one of our aunts and uncles happen along?” Ballad says, thoughtfully. "What sort of Earth history did he study?"

And then, to Jade, with another curl of a grin: "Why, I wouldn't mind at all a girl's evening gallivant. Restful gallivant. And anyway, even if Aunt Fiona is available, we've a whole day to spend until evening comes, so you're welcome after a day of maternal storytelling too."

Ari nodded to Jade
"I'm happy to have you along, Jade.  Please feel free to join us"
Then she looked at Ballad with a wry smirk
"He studied Earth's ancient history, becoming an expert in and collector of ancient artifacts and technology, like swords and crossbows.   Now, of course, it seems like he wasn't just becoming a convincing part of my world, but was also indulging in what was somewhat familiar to him as well.
He didn't have a way to return to Amber.  He had to depend on my mother for travel. So when she died...."
She paused, sighing slightly at the terrible memory of the confirmation of her death.
"When she died, he and I were essentially stuck in Earth, even if I didn't know that.  After the grey men attacked, we had a visit  from Uncle Gerard, and he had a card."

"Great, I will probably have to dress different for a place called Bloody Mary's won't I ?" She looks to Ballad for confirmation.

Jon has been sitting back watching the interaction of his new family, not purposefully but more out of habit. *smiles at Ballad* "Yes, I am looking forward to our ride.  But it sounds like your day is full already, so it might be a moonlit ride after all." *shakes his head* "While, I am not as injured as the others, I am taking Jade's advice and waiting until I am fully healed to walk." He looks around the table and smiles warmly at his family, this is probably the most relax that the group as whole would've seen Jon since they met.

"I think it would be great, if you all walk on the same day."
She smiled softly to them all.

"I don't think we will be at this Bloody Marys all day, so you don't have to push your ride all the way till moonlight time, though Odile did say it will be a full moon and I still want to see your reactions to the city in the sky."

Ariadne raised an eyebrow at "city in the sky", uer expression clearly saying "do i REALLY want to know??"
Instead, she smiled at Jade
"I'm not sure if there's a place here in Amber called 'Bloody Mary's'', but the Bloody Mary i was talking about is the name of a drink, with alcohol and tomato juice.   Depending on where we go, we definitely won't be there all day.  If we have homicidal grey goons after us, we shouldn't indulge too much in drinking, anyway "

*smiles* and Nods to Jade "Then that is something else I have to look forward to today." *nods* To Ari. "Good point. But, I from the sounds of it, today is going to be a day to connect or reconnect with your parents, resting and recuperating.  All of that takes time, and time marches on even when we don't realize it." shakes his head from the gloomy thoughts. *grins* "We should make this a tradition, when any of us are here, especially when all of us are here, we should have breakfast together to renew our bonds of friendship and family, just as the day starts anew." he lift a glass of orange juice. "To my family, I am very happy that we've met and I am looking forward to knowing each of you better." Jon seems to be in a reflective mood this morning.