The king is simply very proud, a little teary.

"...Thank you," Vialle says modestly (but not shyly). She knows she's good, and can take complements. She just isn't full of herself about it, either.

Even Julian is obviously very impressed.

*smiles* and whispers to Jade "Between you and the Queen alone, I can see why many from Rebma would be called sirens. Both you are amazing."

Jade smiles to Jon, "Singing is a skill many practice in Rebma. Those with the best skills earn the title of siren. All who practice magic at least our native magic are sirens. I suspected Vialle had the gift this most definitely confirms it. I enjoy hearing others sing, I learn something from it."

Ariadne chuckled
"Now i want to take you all to an Earth a capella concert.  It's not siren quality,  i suppose,  but definitely shows some talent as well."

"Now you can." Jade says excitedly.

"We can even ride those motorbikes and go to one of Lance's Rennaissance festivities !"

Ariadne chuckled
"Sounds like a grand day out!"

"We should discuss what we are to do now that everyone can walk the worlds. Both for the military actions we can now take as well as the more whimsical things we might wish to do, once the time of troubles is over."

Ari chuckled
"That's a tall order, certainly,  and I'm not sure where to start.  Being able to move in and out of worlds means we can scout out the bad guys pretty quickly,  I'd imagine.   Plus bring in bombs or other kinds of sabotage to their...whatever kind of bases they have, i suppose "

Jon nods agreement that it sounds like a nice trip.

He looks thoughtful about the military action "We need to be careful though.  Remember the Greymen can move through worlds as well.  So any scouting, we should do it as a team. So that we always have back-up"

Ariadne frowned
"I just wish we could get that through Lance's head.  I mean, i get being independent and not wanting to depend on others, but this is a whole new level. "

"We just need to give him time, I think." Jade says tilting her head regarding her cousins.

"I am going to see if Uncle Julian want's to Dance, would one of you like to see if the King or Queen wants to dance ?"

Ariadne chuckled
"Do you think that the queen would dance with me, or would that be a bit scandalous?"

"You know, I think she would. Rebma is different then Amber. I have spent so much time learning of Amber and trying to mimic it's customs. Yes, I think she would."

Odile appears at Jade's elbow (how long has she been listening?) "I bet the queen would dance with you-- but you should ask the king's permission first."

https://images-cdn.9gag.com/photo/am744x4_700b.jpg

Smiles at Odile, "Quite right, I should have thought of that. Thank you Odile." Jade smiles to her friend and personal maid.

"I suppose I need to study the customs here even more."


(P.S. loved that pic )

Ariadne nodded and walked over to Queen Vaille and King Random.
"Pardon me,  Your Majesties?  It's Ariadne, and i was wondering if Queen Vialle would join me for a dance"

"I agree with you about Lance.  Hopefully, he will come around before it is too late." Jon smiles at the ever present Odile. And he moves back to watch the people dance.

Random arches one eyebrow, high. He looks toward Vialle.

And she all-but-looks toward him-- she knows he's looking her way, and she gives him an expression, though she can't see his.

His to her says: I don't want to give permission like it's not up to you-- it's up to you-- I imagine you'll say yes?

Hers to him says: You'll want it to clearly be up to me. I will say yes.

He makes an expression back to her, though she can't see it: That's fine, dear.

He glances back to Ariadne. "I give or deny my permission based on the queen's wishes," he says, knowing the answer is yes.

"I will dance with Princess Ariadne," nods Vialle. (Wow, first time Ariadne's heard that exact sequence of words before. Little strange that it probably won't be the last.)

"Then I give my permission," says Random.

Everyone clears the floor, because one of the dancers is y'know, blind.

"You lead, yes?" Vialle whispers to Ariadne (kind of unnecessarily? but better to say it than not say it and lead to confusion I guess?).

Random makes a complicated little hand sign to the musicians, and the conductor nods like sure, that one.

It turns out to be slow and haunting, because "slow and haunting" is apparently Vialle's whole aesthetic vibe.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9krqgBtqkw

She (of course) is perfectly graceful in every possible way, an excellent dancer.

Ariadne was slightly surprised that the king and queen were amiable, and nodded to Random.
She took the queens hand, leading her to the floor and hoped that the classical dance lessons that her father forced upon her years ago were still rattling around in her head

Jade watched the two dance and was both surprised and not at how well the Queen could dance. She smiled to herself enjoying watching her fellow Rebman gliding across the dance floor.
She had Odile quickly fetch her something to sketch and capture this moment so she could later make a painting of the two dancers.

Janessa slips in to stand by her cousins, fresh drink in hand and smile on her face.

Ariadne was a bit awkward and clumsy to begin with, since her last official lesson in ballroom dancing had been not long after puberty kicked in.  But very quickly she got the hang of things again, as everything, including things she wasn't sure she'd even originally known, came back to her.
It was a strange feeling, as she danced.  Normally she would have acquainted the feeling with dancing with such an attractive and elegant woman, but in this case it was more.
The Pattern.
Despite how tired she was, Ariadne realized that she felt...energized...as she moved.  Flashes of the strange arcane energies of the Pattern, wrapping up her legs and reaching into her soul, made her feel more alive than she'd ever felt before.  Just by trying to remember dance moves, she felt like she was accessing something primal and powerful.  Like the knowledge and power of the universe was there, waiting for her to access it.
If trying to dance was this much of a powerful experience, she wondered what would happen when she was actually out in the world, exploring, fighting, and...moving to other worlds.

Smiling, she held the queen tight, and danced.

(Ariadne, roll Willpower, please. I just wanna check something... it's probably nothing. Nothing bad will happen to you if you blow the roll. (Meaning you also won't get XP if you do.))

Jade let's her eyes drift and is surprised that Janessa had slipped in. It wasn't surprising that she wasn't announced with the Queen dancing but it still made her blink.

"Princess Janessa, you made it. I am so happy, it is nice to see you."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:20, Sat 21 May 2022.

In reply to The GM (msg # 23):

OOC:  17:05, Today: Ariadne rolled 5 using 2d6-1 with rolls of 2,4.  Willpower

(Okay, never mind)

Jon smiles seeing Janessa join the party and walks over towards Jade and Janessa. "Thank you for coming."  He watches Jade draw the dancing queen and princess.

Smiles to Jon, "I just wanted to capture the moment. It is nice to see, it is a shame the Queen won't be able to see it. I wonder if I need to practice sculpting. I imagined what a gathering like this would be like here in Amber. It is wonderful to be the one behind this gala."

Jade continued with her drawing, "I plan to make this a full painting when I can."

"Oh!" says Odile, again seeming to almost appear suddenly next to Jade (though I guess she was there again for at least a few seconds and we just didn't notice. (Gah! How does she keep doing that?) "Maybe you could take lessons in sculpting from the queen...?"

"That would be wonderful, I will have to ask her." Jade smiled glad to have Odile about.

"Jon, would you dance with Odile ? When the Queen's dance is done of course."

"Oh!!" says Odile, flustered-- but then-- "Oh!!" she says again, because Julian is striding over...

Jade looks to Julian smiling, "Hello uncle, I hope your enjoying yourself."

"Niece... Would you care for the next dance...?" There's nothing untoward nor impolite in Julian's manner... it really does seem to simply be an uncle pleasantly asking a young niece he barely knows as yet if she'd like to dance...

"Of course, I would love to." She will join Prince Julian on the dance floor as soon as the Queen's dance is done.

Jon smiles "It would be a honor, if that is Odile's desire." in response to Jade's request.  He then looks at Odile, "Well, dear Odile, would you like to dance." he asks with a slight bow.

Odile has trouble doing more than nodding, so overcome is she with emotion, but it's clear she wants to do this.

https://c.tenor.com/AawIsMGnR88AAAAC/llorar1-cry.gif

Smiles to herself seeing how happy Odile is and how humble and kind Jon is to Odile.

The waltz of the queen and Ariadne ends...

Jade will set down her sketching implements and stand reaching up to take Prince Julians hand.
"Alright, let's dance uncle."

She caught Odile's look and smiled to her friend.

Jon nods "If it is OK Uncle and Jade, we shall join you." he holds out his hand for Odile.

Jade nods to Jon not having a problem with sharing the dance floor.

The queen returned to the king, the two of them quietly decide to join as well...

The music starts...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9J5GqnDKyQ

Janessa stands to the side, watching with a grin.

Dances to the lively song with her uncle.
"It's so nice to see everyone enjoying themselves. So tell me has there been any news on the graymen that face us ?"

"Nothing I'm at liberty to discuss..."

"Oh, I was just curious. I understand." She bobbs her head slightly.

"We all just look towards helping out against them. They are keeping my mother away and I want to see her again."

"I..." Julian pauses, though his graceful dancing continues smoothly. "The court is always enriched by your mother's presence, I agree."

"I want to have the chance to enjoy a relationship with my mother, the way you do with Ballad. I really like your daughter by the way. She has such a free spirit, and even as people see me as a wonder from the sea. I see her as a magical creature too. You did a great job with her uncle."

"Thank you, niece." He is clearly genuinely proud...

After the dance, Ariadne escorted the queen back to her king

Jade smiles then spares a moment to look around and see Jon and Odile dancing.

Ariadne gets another drink and enjoys the music

As the party begins to wind down she makes sure to go around and make sure everyone had a good time.

Smiling Jon heads over to Ariadne "Well, Jade sure know how to through a party." He moves to give her a hug "Congratulations again, this is a big step.  I am glad I was there to witness it."

Laughing, Ariadne hugged her green haired cousin.
"Yes, this was a very impressive party, Cuz. You have a real talent for it"

"Thank you very much. This party was in the planning the day I found out you hadn't walked the Pattern yet. I think it should always be a celebration !"

Jon turns and grins as Jade approaches "You deserve the praise!  This was a amazing.  Thank you for everything."

"Hopefully there will be more parties in the future,  for more celebrating "

"Thank you, Prince Jon for dancing with Odile. You really made her day. I think my favorite was seeing Princess Ariadne and the Queen dance." She smiled remembering it.

"She certainly has rhythm following the music the way she did."

Turning to Ariadne, "Oh, I hope so as well. I love parties."

Jon smiles "It was my pleasure. She is part of our little group, just as much as any of us." Jon nods "That was a majestic moment and glad I was able see it."

Jade looked at Jon with a slight smile leaning towards him.
"Are you tired, or do you feel rested up from the ordeal ?"

Jon smiles and a faint blush colors his cheeks as she leans in "Right now, I feel energized." he says in low voice.

Jade takes Jon's hand, "Would you like to go up to the stairs of Tir again ? I really enjoyed last time and the stars are lovely tonight."

Jon smiles "That sounds wonderful." his blush darkens a bit "That is one of my favorite memories from the past week." holding her hand, Jon follows Jade.

Saunters with Jon up to the stairs of Tir.

"Ahhh yes, up here it looks like you can see the whole world." She gestures with her arms at the lands of Amber ending with them pointed at the sea.

She takes his hands again, "I know, I told you before but I really mean it. I am proud of you and Ariadne. That was such an accomplishment for the both of you. Please forgive me if I was worried seeing you walk those lines of the Pattern which I know can be lethal."

(Please use this thread-- The original Halls of Castle Amber thread is getting full (so I made this one a while back).)

Random turns and sees the youthful party headed toward him and smiles wearily. "...Yes? Er... is this urgent...?"

Curtsies

"Urgent, well not an emergency no. We were just wondering if you had any commands or quests for us as we can now start learning things and helping out more."

Ariadne, recognizing a tired, annoyed, and distracted supervisor when she sees one, smiled quickly
"No need to answer now.  We can come back tomorrow morning.  Just thought we'd give you a heads up. "

Random smiles a little ruefully, but thinks. "...Honestly, the number one thing I think you guys need is real combat training. You've got the edge over anyone from Earth, but even normal human beings can take you out by flanking you and hitting you over the head hard enough-- and we aren't up against normal human beings. You need experience in battlefield and fight tactics, and you need to get it as safely as possible. Jon, I think, comes from a pretty active background, and Ballad has led a pretty adventurous-- but, no, forget I said that, because more experience couldn't hurt either of them. I think Julian is who you should be talking to about this, since it's as hard as ever to catch Benedict with a minute to spare."

"Thank you, your Majesty we shall do so tomorrow morning then."

She turns to the others, "We have our first royal decree, we need to get better !" Smiling, "We have already been practicing so this should only help improve our skills. Ariadne, you really should use your mothers ax, I think she would approve. I just hope uncle Julian won't laugh about my parasol the way our instruction master did."

Ariadne chuckled and smiled at Jade.
"My mother's battle axe, which is a phrase my Earth friends would laugh at, IS an impressive weapon.  But it ain't subtle.  If we need to sneak around a town or something, looking for clues or information, a lady with a parasol is a much better tactical move to stay inconspicuous."

She shrugged, smiling wryly
"I hage a feeling we'll need to cover all our bases amd use unconventional strategies to beat these jackholes."

Looking at the guy who was technically her king now, she nodded
"Okay, we'll talk to Julian tomorrow,  and sign for, i dunno, combat class or whatever "

"Tonight might be the last night of good sleep we get for a while. Julian seemed eager to train us and will probably keep us pretty busy. I will see you both for breakfast we should be able to see Uncle Julian there."

In reply to Jade (msg # 72):

Ari shrugged.
"I'm used to long days.  In several of my movies, we ran 16 hours a day, with lots of physical action from stunts and fight scenes.   I know this will be different, but I'm anxious to learn."

Jon nods at his Uncle's recommendation. "I agree, we have a scheduled combat training with the Castle's Mater of Arms to get us our basics.  We also have the Captain of the Guard willing to teach us about unit tactics.  So we are working on the fundamentals."

He smiles at the mention of Julian "Uncle Julian will be great for survival training and dealing with the unexpected.  I am sure he would enjoy hunting us down as a practical exercise."

He give Ransom a bow "Thank you for your time your Majesty." and turns to Jade and Ari.

"Indeed we do.  Good thing we got a head start on that directive."  Nods "I concur with Jade, you should practice and use your mother's Ax. It is a good weapon and versatile.  I don't think it will stick out as much as you think, unless you are wearing fancy dresses all the time. Besides, off the top of my head, you could be "Lady Jade's" personal guard.  Jade often wears the fashionable dresses, so it would make sense that she would have a retinue.  So you being head of her security would make sense to most people use to dealing with nobility." he smiles "By no means, does that mean you shouldn't wear the same dresses. After all two noble ladies wouldn't be unusual either, and in that case, yes your ax would be unusual.  But that doesn't mean I can't carry it if I am with you." Nods "The point is, using it and mastering that Ax would be a great benefit to you personally and to our overall combat ability.  So don't rule it out.  Think on it."

"Not to mention you look great with it !" Jade smiles to Ariadne.

She then turns to Jon, "We are all royals, I couldn't do that to Ariadne unless we were undercover and pulling off some caper. Even for me it is hard to fight in some of the dresses I have. You know there should be a ladies fighting class here for that sort of thing. I wonder if Florimel would be willing to teach ?"

Jon smiles "Indeed, that was exactly what Ari was talking about.  Needing to be stealthy or blend in. Besides, that was just an idea off the top of my head.  We don't have a situation where that would be needed." nods "I was also making a case for Ari not worry about how conspicuous or inconspicuous her Ax could be, because we can easily find a work around." he smiles "Besides we have an advantage that we are not widely known as nobles of Amber yet.  So we can potentially use that to our advantage.  You and Ballad have been the most public and even traveled to other Realms.  The same can be said for Lance and Janessa.  But Ari and I? We are definitely unknows at the moment outside of Amber."

"That is sort of true, though we did just have that party for you both. Still it was relatively a small gathering as far as grand balls go."

"Come on, let's start heading to out rooms." Her head was swaying slightly as she was singing a new melody in her head.

Random waves g'night wearily, and slips away to bed...

(I'll try to watch what y'all do next, but if I miss some opportunity to jump in and be a GM, let me know.

I'll try, especially to jump in the next time someone obviously needs to talk to an NPC...)

Jon waves to Random "That sounds like a good idea" and he follows Jade.

"Hmmm, you know Ariadne I might be able to work a little magic on your mother's ax to have it shrink. Become a pendant or something when you want to keep it more hidden. Of course my spells go a bit wonky around your mom's ax. So, just let me know ok."

Turning to Jon, "Jon, Julian seems proud of you, which is really nice. Plus if we are with him our chances to spot Ballad increase which is always a good thing. My spirits are up and I am not even one of the ones who walked the pattern today."

Ariadne chuckled ruefully, remembering the fiasco with her mother's axe a week earlier.
"Maybe not shrinking,  but perhaps something that makes people not notice it, or maybe some kind of camouflage."

"Alright, I can definitely try and work up a spell for you then when we need it." Jade smiled brightly.

Chuckles "I don't think uncle Julian is proud of anyone.  But I do believe that he doesn't think me incompetent at least. And that is a win from what I've seen."

Nods at Ari's and Jade's ideas.

Jon follows his cousins.

"Perhaps your right, still it is as you say a win !" She smiled.

"Now Ariadne and myself, we have to prove our mettle. Ariadne strikes that heroic pose, she is so like her mom in that way. I have to practice my heroic poses. Jon, will you be bringing your fathers blade with you ?"

Smiles "I don't think either of you have anything to prove to anyone, but perhaps yourselves."

"When we head to Weirmonken, definitely. The baldric I ordered for RedRing should be ready soon, then I can carry it.  But, I am not sure about using it regularly."

Jade kind looks down slightly embarrassed. When he mentions proving it to themselves.

She then looks up at Jon, "That is probably smart, it is a very powerful weapon but seems to come with some strings to it."

Ariadne looked confused
"Wait...the what now??  Did I lose track of something else already?"

"Just like you found your mothers blade, Jon found his fathers and magically I was able to tell it was special too."

Ariadne nodded and smiled broadly
"Well, as tragic as most of our family histories are, at least the inheritance has been good so far"

Jade's lips tighten she is smiling but it is off from her normal smile.

Jon seeing the Jade's reaction rests his hand on Jade's shoulder and gives her a slight squeeze of comfort and support.
"Yes, it is not the blade that my father normally wore.  But it is a magical blade, we've yet to identify what it can do.  But Jade and our research found that it has something to do with Weirmonkin."

"That is one of the nearby shadows. We need to talk to some people there."

Jade wished the two of them had their parents back to talk with instead of weapons. Yet she didn't really have her mother back either with her being away. Still she felt a pang of guilt.

Ariadne nodded butnlooked concerned by Jade's reaction
"So, wait, what's Weirmonkin again?  I'm losong track  of these names, i think.  And did I say something wrong, Jade?"

Weirmonken, I have never been there but it seems a darkly enchanted place with mythic creatures in it. I just feel bad, you and Jon lost your parents. When you said tragic but nice inheritances, I felt so bad because I still have my mom. I felt guilty. I felt guilty for missing my mother which is really." Her eyes shimmered lightly with the water of tears, "Selfish, since you two won't get to meet your parents."

"Lance get's to see my mother more then I. It's silly and childish."

Ariadne put a comforting hand on Jade's other shoulder and smiled

"It's okay,  Jade.  You don't have to feel some kind of survivors guilt over having your mother in your life.  I wish I'd met mine, but to be brutally honest,  since i never met her I don't really feel like i missed anything.   Besides, i grew up with my dad, and he's amazing.   Granted, ever since we got here, he's been handed over from one distant relative and old friend to another,  and I've barely seen him.  But he was there when i needed him, and that's plenty for me.  So I appreciate your sympathy, but it's not needed."

She grinned
"I'll admit that I'm more concerned about this 'darkly enchanted place with mythic creatures'.  Not that i want to have a scary experience here, but to be honest, except for the Pattern itself,  most of my experience here so far has been pretty ordinary.  More like a medieval themed vacation than a visit to another world. I think I'd like to see some myths "

Jon smiles and gives her another squeeze. "I agree with Ari, you don't need to worry or ever feel guilty.  I am glad that your mom is alive and you can talk with her, you can pull out a card and reach out anytime you want.  And it is not silly to feel a bit jealous of Lance for spending time with your mom.  It is natural."

Jon nods to Ari "Like Ari and her mother, I never knew my father directly.  I only knew what my mother said, which until 10 days ago, I thought were all lies. I put walls up between myself and my mother, because I thought... No, I knew she was lying to protect her "honor" as a noble of Amber.  Why else would she move to some distant world? It was obvious, she did it to raise the bastard son of a lowly house knight. In the Faewyld, she could claim to be Queen of Amber to Eric's king and there was no one who could contradict her.  She did eventually married the man who was my father, who raised me as his own." *sighs* "But it turns out she was telling the truth.  And I wasted years."  Jon smiles "But, I know the truth and soon, I will return and admit I was wrong an apologize.  Hopefully I mend our relationship." chuckles.

"Sorry for rambling, the point is Ari and I both had parents who loved us and where there for us.  And so do you. So there is nothing to feel guilty about."

Jade hugged them both and tightly, "Thank you both, sometimes I don't know how to approach that subject."

She stepped back blinking the teers away and got some of that old mischievousness in her eyes back. Turning to Ariadne, "So you wish to meet myths do you ? Is a sea nymph not enough or a moon maiden like Ballad ? Alright then but beware..." She let it linger for a few moments, "Some myths have claws and teeth, and if you aren't careful around them you may end up with claws and teeth too. Beware the full moon, and carry silver with you my cousin for Wiermonken is a place of dark mists and howls in the night."

Ari laughed
Yeah, i suppose i should be careful what i wish for.  I suspect before the year is out I'll be up to my armpits in myths and legends. I mean, i don't really look at you or Ballad as mythical.  I mean, you two are less strange than people I've boughtdrinks for on a Saturday night,  but i get your point."

"On a more serious note, do you know what a werewolf is ?"

Ariadne narrowed her eyes almost suspiciously, as if she wasn't completely sure if Jade was serious or not.
"Um.... I'm. going to guess probably not?  We have Legends and myths on Earth, but I'm thinking that they're all far off the mark"

"Weirmonken has packs of them, at some point we will need to go there. I have only read about them myself, Ariadne. So my knowledge of them is from book learning. They seem dangerous and pretty scary. Jon, it's up to you if you want to say more."

Ariadne nodded, still looking like Jade will say "Just Kidding!!!" any moment,  but suspecting that she won't
"Are they vulnerable to silver bullets? Do guns even work there?"

"Silver and I think magic blades." Nods.

"I am not sure about bullets."

Ariadne nodded, looking suddenly worried, though she was obviously trying to hide it.
"Well, this day suddenly got real "

"Your mother broke the spine of one over her knee. Though from what I read she was concerned it would heal back from that. So they can be hurt through enough brute force damage. Just they don't stay down without silver or magic."

*nods* "My research concurs with Jade's. There does seem to be some type of curse at work there.  Though there is a treaty in place between the two realms.  The treaty states that they aren't to kill any longer, but when a "madness takes over" they kill, so before that they were going to Arden to be put to death.  But there have been fewer those coming to Arden."
He pauses "There is a riddle or prophecy that my father and the sword were tied to, which was never completed. And I feel, not sure why, but I feel it falls to me to complete it. I think it will free Weirmonkin of their curse."

Ariadne listened,  intrigued almost despite herself
"So this is more of a personal mission,  then?  Is it practice for the grey guys, or is it just a distraction,  though?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:57, Tue 04 Oct 2022.

Nods "For me, this is a personal mission.  Both to get familiar with travelling to other realms and get a sense of the differences between home, Amber and other realms.  If we or I succeed, there is a chance we might have another ally, which would be beneficial our fight against the Greymen." He smiles "So, I would say more practice, practical example of what we know and learned.  But not a distraction."

Ariadne nodded thoughtfully
"Cool, than count me in, if there's room in the reservations "

Jon smiles "You are definitely welcome. I feel better already having both you and Jade along on this mission.  If only Ballad were available."

"If she is, we will try to drag her along." Jade smiled.

"Well, here is my room. I will see you both tomorrow at breakfast. Once again congratulations on your Pattern Walks."

She opened the door to her room.

Jon gives her a partial bow "Thank you.  And thank you for the Party and everything..."

"I am glad you enjoyed it! After this Graymenace, I think I will try to arrange more parties here in Amber." She returned a curtsey.

"I really enjoyed when you danced with Odile, it really made her night. It is really rare for the staff to get to enjoy festivities. I think, I may have rankled some sticklers for tradition. It was worth it though to see her head floating among the clouds of Tir above."

Jon smiles "It was my pleasure. She did well, especially being put on the spot." he nods "Until tomorrow, my Sea Princess."

Ariadne nodded as well, smiling
"I'll agree with that.   It was a wonderful party.  I've been to may parties, but you have a gift, Cuz.   Sleep well. "

She turned to her other cousin, marveling a bit at how her family life had gone from the proverbial famine to feast.
"Jon, I'll see you in the morning, big guy.  I look forward to traveling with you"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:58, Wed 05 Oct 2022.

Jade saw them off and then headed to her chambers to get at least another night of hopefully good sleep in a nice bed before they trained with their uncle Julian.

Jon nods to Ari "Thank you.  I look forward to our Journeys as well.  Sleep well!" he then heads for his rooms.

Jon heads to his rooms to change into his lightweight leather armor. ~Its been over a week now, if I am to keep a residence here, I really need to think about getting more clothes than my traveling attire.  I know Jade ordered some clothes for us both, but I should also look into some sturdier armor and travel clothes.  It seems most people here don't travel is armor.~ he muses to himself as he walks.

Ariadne went to bed, aftrt practicing with her mother's axe for a bit.  She took inventory of her weapons and other equipment.
She was probably too excited to sleep,  but she tried anyway

Jade changed into her gold scale armor and went through routines with her parasol till she felt satisfied with herself. She had her bags ready and went to meet with her cousins so she could use her card of Julian to bring them to Arden.

Ariadne, nervous despite her best efforts,  gathered her various weapons and gear.  Despite having played various soldiers and warriors over the years, She had never really done this herself, relying on costume and prop people.  But she'd been camping many times, though even then she'd always had modern conveniences just a stone's throw away.
She gathered her mother's battle axe, and added various small throwing axes and daggers, feeling like one of the historic reenactors her father had always been obsessed with.   Now, of course,  she knew why.

Not sure what else to take with her, she headed down to join the others.

Jade waved.

She had Julian's card.

Ariadne chuckled and nodded.

"Just waiting for Jon."

"Are you going to bring your mom's ax ?"

Ari brought out her mother's sleek battle axe from where it had been hanging behind her.
"Weirdly,  that makes me feel better, knowing that the axe is m'l ore subtle than I'd thought.   I was afraid that, despite its appearance,  lugging this thing around would be like carrying around a guitar case, but this is encouraging "

"It looks good on you, and you shall intimidate every tree in Arden !"

Ariadne laughed
"Yeah, those trees know what they did"

Jade laughs, "You will earn a new title yet ! Terror of the Arden wood !"

Ariadne smirked
"Considering how Prince Julian supposedly feels about the forest, that might not be a good thing"

Jade places a finger to her bottom lip then !

Ariadne, Hedge Trimmer of Arden !"

In reply to Jade (msg # 130):

Ari laughed out loud
"Now it sounds almost dirty.  But I approve"

Jade has a puzzled look.

Ariadne looked at Jade with a smile, seemed to ponder the logistics of explaining her joke to Jade, but instead just smiled and changed the subject
"So, what do you think we'll do?"

"I think we will be, drilled like soldiers but pushed even more then them. In a way, I am glad Jon has been pushing us hard. Julian will probably push us harder. I know, I need it. I thought I would be good though I have a long way to go."

In reply to Jade (msg # 134):

Ari raised an amused, but worried, eyebrow.
"Now I'm wondering if this was such a good idea after all"

"Well you want to be able to destroy any Graymen that threaten you, right ?"

In reply to Jade (msg # 136):

Ari sighed, grinning ruefully, and nodded.
"Yeah, I guess you're right.  Nothing worth doing is easy, I suppose."

Ariadne nodded, smiling thoughtfully
"Well, I've trained hard before, for various acting rolls.  But i suppose this will top them all"

Grinning as he catches the last bit of the conversation. Jon comes out to meet his cousins. "Sorry for the delay, I stopped at the armory to get a sword, shield, bow and quiver of arrows.  I didn't think my hunting knife would be the best weapon." Jon has a shield strapped to his back (Captain America Style), a short sword on his left hip, a quiver on his right hip and holding a longbow.  He is dressed in his armor, just like hew as for the pattern walk and of course his black and gold bracers.

Jade smiles, "Hi Jon, we didn't leave yet. I have your father's rapier and my parasol. I should have thought about a bow and arrows. Do you like my armor ? It is light enough to swim in without any problem." The armor glimmers and gleams a gold color.

"I agree though, a hunting knife might not be enough. You didn't bring Knellsinger ? Ariadne brought her mothers Ax. We should give it an intimidating name."

Jon gives Jade an appraising look as she models the armor "Impressive.  It looks amazing and eye catching that is for sure.  And if it is light enough to swim in, then it should be good here too." shakes his head "No, I am not ready to carry RedRing yet. I need to better understand its powers first.  There was a reason that my father didn't carry it." smiles "Don't worry, I've been putting in extra practice with the Master of Arms to wield it properly."

 Ari smiled wryly
"I never found out if my mother's axe had a name.  If you'd asked me a month ago, I'd have said that naming a weapon was silly,  but now I'll admit that I'm curious "

"We can ask Uncle Julian."

Jade fixed her gaze on the card of said uncle and focused hard on contacting him.

Ariadne was about to say something,  but saw that Jade was "on a call"

"Certainly, niece. A perk of being in the family-- especially when the person on the far end, meaning me, isn't in combat or a meeting or anything like that, which obviously I wasn't."

Ariadne chuckled
"That's what they call on Earth 'Friends in High Places'."

She stepped aside got her cousins

Soon, all of the cousins who'd been assembled in Arden were back in the hallway in front of the main doorway to the castle's library. (Unless there's anyone who doesn't want to go back, in which case speak up.)

Jade gets her bearings.

"Ah, good we are near the library we can do some research on Tanus, before we go there."

"Ah, yes... what... 'mission' are we thinking about doing, in Tanus, exactly...?"

"Prince Julian said it was picturesque and a good place for training in shadow walking. He also mentioned it was not as technologically advanced as Earth so I wouldn't be overwhelmed. I have never heard of the shadow myself."

"Oh. Huh. Well, yes, all right. I guess it does sound like a pretty decent idea, at that. It's-- well that wouldn't mean much to you and Jon..." Random turns to Ariadne and Janessa. "Tanus is basically, um, Arabian Knights stuff. Mythic India. Tigers and snakecharmers and guys lying on beds of nails and climbing up ropes and disappearing at the top, that sort of thing. Guys in turbans, you get the idea. But the city itself is fairly safe-- you won't get genies blasting stuff nor giant rocs attacking or anything. ...Or at least, it's never been like that when I've been there. They play a funny sort of 9-card draw poker where the-- but you aren't going there to play cards. Never mind. You'll be fine. I mean, it's part of the Golden Circle, after all. They know not to mess with us. Just keep a friendly and humble attitude and you should have a nice visit."
This message was last edited by the GM at 16:18, Sat 18 Feb 2023.

Ariadne nodded, listening carefully.  Both for the interesting description of this literal other world, especially something that sounded out of an old movie, and her amusement that King Random seemed a dead ringer for the essential befuddled English man, like Hugh Grant in one of those silly British romantic comedies that Ariadne's ex girlfriend Lori loved.
It definitely made the king much more endearing

"I mean it's not really India, you won't recognize any of the place names and the gods they worship are a little different, but you'll see a resemblance to that particular... Earth-Shadow culture. ...Well, the mythological one. ...The tigers and elephants are definitely a lot like Earth tigers and elephants, though. Oh, and the monkeys. Watch your wallet around the monkeys-- the big ones steal, sometimes. ...The little ones, too, sometimes, but less."

Ariadne smirked
"I'm honestly not sure if that makes it more or less confusing.   But i appreciate the insight "

Jade just listens not understanding it all but knowing she can ask Ariadne later.

Jon moves to stand next to Jade and joins her in listening.

Looks at Jon, "This place sounds exciting. I wonder what some of those things are." She smiles trying to imagine it.

Ariadne chuckled and smiled at her cousins
"I apologize, but I'm not sure if I can describe it that well either.
 The land of "Old India" is one of mystics, meditation, old fashionedtraditions, and crowds.   Lots and lots of crowds. "

*nods* "This is very different than what I have encountered." he smiles "It sounds like a true adventure."

Bobbs her head and heads into the library to do research on it.

"Let's see what we can learn, oh and bring money. There is a certain trick for keeping your money relevant." She smiled.

Hmm "I haven't carried any money in a while.  How much do you think we will need?  I can get my Steward to get me my share."

Ari smirked in a friendly way
"I've still got my wallet with paper money, mostly out of habit.  But I'm not sure if that is helpful.  I've gotten local money from the royal treasurer or whatever, but I'm still not used to carrying around gold coins.   It makes me feel like a pirate. "

"We can convert our money it is a special trick, it is part of shadow walking that I learned. It is a trick that you should learn too since it is so useful." Jade smiles playfully before heading for the librarian to inquire on books on the golden circle shadows.

Laurence, the castle librarian, soon shows Jade and the others a picture of the city of Tanus.

"Tanus was old when she first met Amber. The city is ancient, perhaps even older than Amber. Tanus is the great city at the mouth of a huge river. It is the head of a great trade network of barges and rivermen, and the city is an unending bazaar of the strange and wonderful amidst buildings a thousand years old that have been converted to whatever use they are needed."

(Here's some pics to give you some vibes

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/17/e...b11446a65f77f9e9.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/8d/d...bfa11c5a51212ff3.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/564x/5c/3...47e8f00303bd0116.jpg )

Are any of those pictures Card quality pictures ?
Jade will sense for that if she can.

(What, as if Dworkin or one of the redheads drew them? No, none of them are like that.)

She will thank the Laurence for being so helpful.

"Looks like a place where one could easily get lost. We will have to stick together." She says to her cousins.

"Alright, I am going to head to the fourth floor and see if I can find the painting that could transport us. None of these are of the same power as the cards."

Jade heads for the fourth floor to look for the painting Julian spoke of.

"Eh?" says Random. "Transport you? Um... Jade... are you sure Julian didn't mean that you could study a painting and then use that mental picture to walk there yourself? Because I don't think we have a card for Tanus, nor anything that acts like a card for that place..."

Looks slightly confused, "It seemed like he was implying a card like painting though he did mention pictures here in the library too. Perhaps you are right." She looked toward the King, "He mentioned the place was very picturesque. Perhaps that is what he meant."

She looks at her cousins, "Sorry for my confusion."

"Ah, well, no harm done! Carry on...!" The king wanders on off, back to whatever his kingly duties might be today.

Odile comes running up. "--Anything I can do to help?! With anything?!" she asks, a little out of breath.

"Odile !" Jade smiles.

"We are going on a trip to Tanis, so we will need to pack for such a trip. I believe you can help with that. Could you coordinate with some other servants so my cousins here and myself have bags ready for travel and a carriage or two."

"Certainly! And I'll have the kitchen make lunches for along the way, in case you decide to take it slow! I'll get carriage-drivers who've been to Tanus before prepared. They can't go by themselves, of course, but having them and horses who know what the way there should look and feel like should help you all!"

"Thank you Odile, your the best." Jade smiles at her.

Odile salutes. "Right! I'm on it!"

She runs off.

Seeing Jade get slightly confused about what Julian meant made Ari a little less embarrassed about being so lost with all these terms.  It reminded her of her college days, when, very hung over after a wild weekend, she walked into the wrong classroom and had to make her dehydrated brain figure out why her History of Western Civilization class had so many damned calculus equations in it. Though her mood elevated when Odile arrived, being so cute and helpful, Ariadne looked at Jade with slight confusion.

"Jade?  We're having 'bags packed'?  How long are we staying in this place?  I thought it was just a stopover for the afternoon or something."

"I think Julian wants us not only to get used to traveling shadow but the difference in culture and technology. There are obviouslly great differences between here and Earth. Prince Julian said less so between here and Tanus. We should spend a little time learning how to blend in with the natives and to see how we deal with the differences. I think we will need more then an afternoon for that, don't you ?"

"I want to see what an elephant is, and a tiger."

Ariadne nodded, thoughtfully.
"Going there with bags packed like tourists will be less subtle, but I suppose it can't be helped.  Okay.  What are the customs there, as far as weapons and other things we can bring?"
She asked the librarian as much as Jade.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:37, Wed 22 Feb 2023.

Jon nods in agreement with Ari regarding the packing and customs.

Janessa is standing off to the side quietly taking it all in.

"You're free to bring whatever you like. They're well aware that there are other Shadows, and who the royal family of Amber is-- the head of the Golden Circle-- so there is little you can do that will upset them, as long as you remain friendly and kind to them in general. They'll want to please you, in general. Ah... I wouldn't question their ways, or anything... just be accepting, in general, of whatever goes on."

Ari smirked
"Reminds me of a Hollywood party.  Everyone wants to be your friend, but there are still plenty of people to offend"

Jon frowns "What "ways" of theirs that we might question? That instantly sounds ominous."

Jade packs and will probably stand out like a tourist with big gowns her parasol and other very princess dresses that she had made when she found out after talking with her mother.
Still she seems happy packing all the same.

In reply to Jon (msg # 182):

Ariadne smirked and shrugged
"Honestly, there might be subtle things that wouldn't seem odd to us that might seem horribly offensive to them.  There are places on Earth like that where certain people get offended by seemingly inoffensive things.  I suppose that's part of our training, to play things by ear and work to adapt quickly enough to recover from social faux pas."

Ariadne packed a few days worth of clothes, and brought many of her Earth things as well, as well as a fair amount of money, though not a conspicuous amount.  She also, with a chuckle of irony, put her phone on silent, knowing a call from her agent while walking down the local bazaar would probably cause an upheaval.
She so brought her sword and throwing axes, though she left her mother's axe behind.
It did NOT look touristy, after all.

"Just obeying the local laws, was what I had in mind..." The librarian turns to Jade. "For example, what is the punishment for theft in Rebma? Or... is there theft in Rebma? I truly wouldn't know."

Jade would have smiled, "Common sense laws, I mostly think we should be able to follow. I was kind of sheltered in Rebma, and no one stole from the Queen, so. I am sure in the outer city it may have happened, though it was not common, like it is uncommon here in Amber."

"What would you think the punishment might be, though, for a proven thief of Rebma?"

"Mercy is a big quality in Rebma. I think restitution would be what would be the chosen form of recompense. I know it is different here though. I don't plan on stealing, we have so much as a family. there is no need."

"And I am saying, in Tanus, you might see a thief imprisoned in stocks-- or in a cage up above the street and not fed for days-- or maybe losing a finger, or more, depending on how much of a repeat offender they might be, and depending on their age-- and who they stole from," says Laurence. "Will you be able to resist interfering in how Tanus sheriffs might choose to punish a proven thief if they stole from a fruit-seller? Or from someone rich? Or from you, yourself? What if the thief was a woman? Or very young? Or both? Do you see what I mean? If they were very young, they probably wouldn't lose a finger, but if they tried to steal from you and as a result were hung in a cage above the street for all to see and not fed for two days, what would you say?"

"Oh, I hadn't considered that. Do people really do that ?" Jade seemed geniunely shocked to hear of such treatment.

"Even if they stole because they were starving ?"

"It depends. One thing upon which it depends, as I mentioned, is whom they steal from."

"My cousins may be able to help me then with understanding such laws of other shadows." She looks to her cousins with wide expressive eyes.

Ariadne pressed her lips together.  She nodded
"As much as I love Earth, the capitalist attitude can make people scared to lose their stuff, so lots of folks in charge want things like theft and fraud punished harshly.  My specific home isn't quite as bad as many, less developed places, but even in my home the motivation behind criminaljusticeis bent more towards punishmentand even revenge than the rehabilitation of the wayward souls who steal or do violence"

She shrugged, almost looking a bit guilty
"When I travel to other countries,  though,  I've seen how badly the locals can be treated.  Unfortunately, there was no way for me to fix it."

Janessa nods as Ariadne explains Earth’s justice systems. “In my travels, I’ve found it helpful to find a local willing to explain the local customs and laws.” She thinks a moment. “Or try to find a library, if it looks like a place that would have one. They usually have a section for law books.”

Jade looks sad her eyes slightly wet.

"I suppose there are some things I would get mad about, like theft of my parasol, or if someone tried to kill me. We do like to give people a chance to make up for things in Rebma. We don't have stocks or anything like that."

Jon rests a hand on Jade's shoulder to offer comfort. "My home is similar, especially in the Seelie and Unseelie Courts to Tanus. The Severed Court, where my mother and father made our home, is closer to the style of Amber from what I've seen of Amber's Justice."

Jon nods to Laurence "While we might not agree with their customs, Laws and Justice, we have to remember that we are guest and must accept things that we would not if they occurred in our home." he steps back so he can see everyone "Unfortunately, that is the very core of Diplomacy, often needing to compromise on principles to achieve a better result for all.  Otherwise, you must go to war and subjugate those who do not see as you do.  And I think we've all seen that War seldom brings long lasting stability and prosperity to all."

"True, it is their world and we are guests. Speaking of war though we should watch out for one another. This may be a trip to a new and unique culture but to those Graymen we are still victims. What if we run across them? We should be able to defend ourselves even with local customs and laws correct ?" She looks to Laurence.

Ariadne smiled at Jon wryly.
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves.  No need to get too stressed out before anything happens.  Let's take things slow and work as we go."
But Jade's words made her frown and almost scowl.
"I can appreciate local customs to behave, but if one of those grey jackholes comes at me, anywhere, he'll be grey cutlets, local laws be damned.  I'm good at sneaking out of town, if need be.  I can do it again.  I'm not risking my life, or yours, so some local dignitary feels more in control of his town."

Jon nods in agreement with Ari, "I agree with you.  We will not give the Greymen any quarter, regardless of local customs or laws."

He smiles and turns to Jade, "Ari is also right, we can't worry too much now about something that may or may not happen.  For now, let's get ready and we can try to Shadow Walk together to get to Tanus."

"I wouldn't think that that would be any problem. As part of the Golden Circle, the broadest strokes of the Black Road War are no secret to Tanus, and I think that the Gray Men would have been mentioned-- after all, for a short time, it was believed that one of them killed Prince Caine, though later it was understood that he'd faked that himself. However, I also feel certain that Prince Julian would not have suggested that you visit Tanus if he thought that the Gray Men might be there. The Black Road, as far as anyone has ever heard, did not touch Tanus."

"Well that is good. I am glad they know of the peril we are under and that we will defend ourselves if need be. Thank you for all your help, Laurence." She smiled kindly at the librarian.

She looked to her cousins then.

Ariadne nodded to the Librarian, happy for the information.  She'd always had a great respect for librarians.  The librarian at her Catholic school in Boston had been very cool, an older nun that, in her own way, was a bit rebellious and supportive of young Ari's questions and attitude.
And the researchers on her various movies, especially the different period pieces, were almost invaluable, though many times they ended up slowing down production.  The wait was almost always worth it, though.

"Okay, Jade, when should we head out?"

"Let's check with Odile, usually I can find her by my rooms."

"Thank you Laurence. Your insights are invaluable. They have helped me many times since I've arrived."

Jon nods to Ari, Jade and Janessa, "Let's finalize our traveling gear and meet up out by the stables."

Jade nods to Jon, "Sounds good to me. See you there Jon. We shant be long."

Ariadne went to pack and joined the others.  She brought a small variety of clothes, both casual and fancy. And many of her Earth possessions,  and most of her weapons, but left her mother's axe behind this time.

Odile is spotted running full-tilt down a hallway. She comes to a hurried halt when she sees that Jade seems to be looking for her, and runs over and salutes (adorably. Saluting seems to be her new thing, or at least it is today). "Everything's just about ready! Any last-minute changes or anything?"

"No everything is fine. Thank you so much for arranging everything."
Jade smiled happily.

"We just want to have a good outing and know that it will be so with your help."

She salutes, smiling. "Excellent! Report to the stables when you're all ready!"

Heads off to the stables with a big smile thinking about Odile.

"She is such a great person."

As Jon leaves Jade and Ari to investigate Hless, he heads towards the throne room to start looking for Random.
He stops and nods at the Guards "Is the King in and available for a quick audience?" he asks.

"He's in his personal chambers, your grace, as far as I know. He likes to attend to inter-Shadow paperwork around this time of day... weekdays like this, anyway."

Jon nods "Thank you. Sir. Stay Safe!" and turns to head to Random's quarters.

When Jon arrives and knocks, a call from within bids him enter. "Ah, Jon. What do you need?" asks Random, looking up from some paperwork.

Jon enters and gives a partial bow to the King, "Your Majesty, thank you for time.  I want to see if it is OK to delay our trip to Weirmonken a short time.  Princess Jade has found a refugee from a different shadow while we were in Tanus and would like to return him to his home shadow before we head to Weirmonken."

"What? Oh, no, absolutely. I agree that Weirmonken should be investigated sooner or later, but I certainly don't want any of you going there until you feel absolutely ready for it. ...Anything I should know about the refugee...?"

Jon nods "Thank you." smiles "The refugee is basically a horned rabbit named Hless. He apparently was transported to Tanus via storm of some type, then captured and sold repeatedly by an unscrupulous merchant. He seems to be telepathic."

"What?! That's... unusual. I mean of course there are all kinds of sentient folk in the Shadows... but they're usually human-looking close to Amber, or at least humanoid. I wonder if there's another, humanoid species that lives in the same Shadow. ...I'd like to hear the story of Hless sometime... but I don't want to detain you now. So, if there's nothing else...?"

Jon shakes his head, "No nothing else that I'm aware of." and smiles "Thank you Your Majesty."