Silver and Cold by ElrodW

Monday, September 24, 2007
Quad, near Crystal Hall. Whateley Academy

Elle, Martina, and friends eating lunch, and having a fun time from the sound of it. Wrangled into leading the development of the Aerial Games Club, and dealing with labs crew complaining the acronym AGC is already used in electronics, I would need a fun break as well. Christina Volante needs to learn the rule that Whateley is neutral and not to bring the 'good guy, bad guy' rivalries from outside there.

*facepalms* The lab crew's suggestion of a club name is ridiculous. Hehe, love the comment from Phase. Who is this girl calling Elle Ice, and why does she have the same hair color? Whoa, another Sidhe student who knows about Aesglowen, who is this girl?

For her own protection, her avatar rating and any mention of her spirit’s possible identity had been carefully omitted from her admission paperwork and record.

I hope there are no secret files that shouldn't get out that Hartford and Mrs. Carson have that could get leaked, like what happened to Eldritch thanks to Trout.

A possible sister of Aesglowen, what are the odds her sister's spirit reincarnated at almost the same time and also ended up at Whateley? 7th of the 9 queens, almost forgot where she fell in that order. Too dense to be queen, yikes, this girl does host the spirit of Aesglowen's sister, only a sibling can burn you like that.

An Aussie, Roberta Holt but goes by Robbie, from Brisbane. Ouch, burn to Darby, losing a cricket tournament for a trophy to another country's team sucks. Yup, Robbie hosts the spirit of Aesglowen's sister, what are the odds.

Jori and Kiera want an answer for what just happened. Explaining how some spirits are more than other spirits, Elle did a good job of it. Having to reveal the secrets of Aesglowen to her friends all because Robbie let the cat out of the bag. Ouch, not sure if Aesglowen is a living part of a spirit, or if Elle just dreams she is. Coming back as a spirit but without your memories, now that is terrifying to think about.

Aunghadhail would make an impression on anyone that would last even through memory loss. Martina is right, Aughadhail is gone, and Nikki can help with the memories she retains from her. National pride and bragging rights, worse things have been done in the name of a sports trophy. Huh, interesting why the trophy got its name. I have to agree with Dosi, I could understand if it was a soccer/football trophy, but cricket?

Elle’s Dreamspace

Her dreamspace seems different from usual, plus where has Aes gone off to? Why are you sitting there of all places, Aes? I know this is a dreamspace, but you can possibly still die in it if you fall from there. Aww, you have no reason to be sorry, Aes, it isn't your fault your memories are missing. Ninometh, a younger sister who is a brat, oh brother. And probably envious of Aes being queen as well, the way Robbie talked that sure seemed the case. Aes, Nikki isn't Aunghadhail, there is no reason to be scared of her.

Thursday, September 28, 2007 - afternoon
Kirby Hall. Whateley Academy

Ouch, no wonder the magic class was grueling, misguided and badly-informed students you can give correct information to and help to learn, those who think they already know everything and refuse to be instructed need a clue-by-four smacked upside their head.

And that didn’t include the one ‘special’ student who was truly in the category of ‘moron studying to be promoted to idiot’. Unfortunately, they had to accommodate him, as his Wiz rating was rather high, and the staff had to at least try to help him learn to control his power, so he didn’t end up as a human popsicle, or worse yet, another mutant ‘disappeared’ by the MCO.

Yikes, there is the biggest source of a potential stress headache.

Elle shows up, or at least Nikki thinks it is Elle at first. Robbie has shown up to talk to Nikki, this is unexpected. Disgust mixed with anger at the mention of Aesgloweth, oops, Nikki, you got the name slightly wrong there. Seesh, Robbie has a lot of pride about having Ninometh as the spirit she hosts. The training team is scheduled for a sim soon, so Nikki doesn't have time to chat.

“But … we’re Sidhe!” Robbie protested. “Why …?”

Nikki’s expression turned to an icy glare that could freeze air. “Enough of that!” She glanced around quickly. “I know where you’re coming from on this, and you need to stop! You and I need to have a serious private discussion about this. The sooner, the better. Are you in Dickinson Cottage?”

Eep, Robbie hit one of Nikki's sore spots about the Sidhe and some of their attitudes. And Robbie is in Whitman, figure she fits in there better.

“I've heard you that you Yanks all think that in Australia, everything that walks, crawls, slithers, or swims is out to kill you." She grinned broadly. "It's not, really, but it helps keep tourists away! So, compared to that, what’s a little odd mutation?”

Hey, more than a few creatures in Australia have poison that can kill multiple elephants and other deadly stuff, if you don't think that is dangerous, good for you.

Thursday, September 28, 2007 - Dinner
Crystal Hall. Whateley Academy

A run of bad luck for the Kimbas, say it isn't so. *falls over laughing* The Mighty Moose, Hank, you definitely need a class on how to dialogue as a villain.

“That’s one of the more popular sim videos,” Jade said with an innocent smile. “I heard it’s being used in Dialoguing 201 this year.”

Ouch, Hank will never live that down now. Beaten by the Ghost-Walker's in the sims and Phase distracted by Charge, Hank wasn't kidding about the bad luck.

Gah, I tried saying what Toni said out loud and nearly bit my tongue, now that is a tongue twister. Ah, Elle shows up to talk with Nikki, with no Aussie accent, and acting shy about it is a dead giveaway. Ah, she finally corrects Nikki on the name of Aesglowen. Echo Five Six, what is that code for from Hank that is so important she can't meet with Elle at 8 tonight?

Yikes, says she can meet in Elle's dreamspace, but Aes is terrified of Nikki due to thinking she is Aunghadhail. You guys, no picking on Kayda about all her angst, though nice callout to comments on the forum in the past about it.

Lily rolled her eyes. “Since Ayla isn’t here to say it, I will. First, Angst-O-Meter isn’t a real thing, and second, since she got things squared away with Loophole, Kayda’s been pretty calm and happy.”

Yay, calm and happy Kayda is what I like to see more of. Not funny, Hank.

Toni, using Kayda for dramatic entertainment isn't nice. Jade, I doubt Danny will be the angstiest Poesie this year with all the girls he is hooking up with or will be shortly. Thank you, Lily, for talking to Elle and understanding, and the rest of the Kimbas finally stop goofing off and showing sympathy, they have all had times when they need help like this and know what it is like.

Thursday, September 27, just after curfew
Poe Cottage, Whateley Academy

Dang, Nikki goes to Ayla for intel and he already knows about both Elle and Robbie. Elle belongs in Poe, I forget why she wasn't placed there. Charge asking interesting questions, she still doesn't know about Danny her little sister's relationship, uh oh. Just what kind of advanced math class is Kayda tutoring Ayla in? Yes, Danny needs to straighten things out with Amelie and Adalie before Adalie finds out about her own and goes full-blown overprotective big sister on a rampage mode.

Dream Space of Aesglowen & Elle

Aes, you can't just ignore Robbie, she is too stubborn and pigheaded to ignore when she is stuck on something from what I've already seen of her. Nikki scares you because she resembles Aunghadhail in her younger days, Aesglowen, but she is nothing like the Aunghadhail of old.

Elle, don't ignore Kayda, she is here to help. Hiding from things just makes them worse over time. Kayda looks great and that outfit is perfect. Hehe, the innocence of curiosity. All the names the First Nations have been called over the ages, interesting. Oh, good, Aes calms down thanks to hearing they will meet Nikki on neutral ground. Rules of a council, good rules, should be used for all meetings.

Aes agrees to all this, now to get her to take one of Kayda's hands. That was easy, already shifting to Kayda's Dreamspace. Ah, I've missed this, it would be the perfect dreamspace for star gazing. Wakan Tanka, judging the current Sidhe by the past Sidhe's actions is unfair.

Wakan Tanka’s eyes widened at Kayda’s tone, then she nodded imperceptibly. <I see you are learning, especially to not be dominated. Unlike that other Sidhe girl and her arrogant queen spirit.>

Good to see Kayda standing up for herself to Wakan Tanka.

Tea for the guests while Kayda goes to get Nikki. Aes, Nikki won't hurt you, I hope you come to learn this. And now Aes has learned of the loss of Aunghadhail. Good, Nikki can confirm the things Robbie told her and the little bits of memories that Aes has. Hehe, explain the concept of a bratty little sister, that will be fun. Elle has three little sisters, Sara, Helena, and Thea, I can't remember if that came up in her origin story.

Ah, they reveal they know why she should be in Poe, but state they won't reveal her secret. Get Ninometh in on this so they won't have to do this twice, oh boy, I won't she isn't as big a brat as I'm expecting towards Aesglowen.

Second Floor, Poe Cottage

Ouch, Kayda drained and walks right into Lanie. Eep, joking like that with Kayda, Lanie, you goof. Oh, not joking as she kisses Kayda right on the lips, didn't see that coming. Kayda is in a rush and mediating all this is going to leave her drained big time after it is all said and done. Yay for Lanie and Mrs. Horton, now how will Robbie react to the meeting being in a dreamspace? Good grief, Lanie, what happened since we last saw her and Kayda's chat to be talking like this with each other? Now they want to throw Wyatt into the mix, oh boy, this going to be a very crowded dreamspace tonight.

Kayda's Dream Space

*facepalms* Nikki has a problem with unusual names and remembering them right, doesn't she? Wakan Tanka, Aughadhail is gone and Nikki is not like her, she would have given the People aid back then if she had been there. Nikki doesn't know if Aung knew Aes's mother or not, so not all of Aung's memories remain. Kaldrielle was the name of Aes's mother. And that name set of Wakan Tanka, the string of Lakota, what is she saying? And the hand on Aes' shoulder, were Aes' mother and Wakan Tanka friends?

Kayda is back with Robbie Holt and Ninometh, uh oh.

<She was a spoiled, undisciplined child. A … brat … I believe is your word.> the old woman huffed. <Her mother was friendly and kind, sometimes joining for a hunt, sometimes to join us at the fire in winter to talk, to dream, and during those visits, she kept the snow and the wind calm. She was a friend of the People.> She glared at Nikki. <Unlike Ninometh, who delighted in playing tricks. She caused great storms, and laughed as the People struggled. She chased off buffalo as the People tried to hunt. She is a trickster, as untrustworthy as Iktomi. As untrustworthy as the Queen, who, like Ninometh, was often cruel, and other times indifferent.>

Ah, good mother, but one of her daughters was a brat and she couldn't control her, tale as old as time.

Yeah, let Kayda bring Ninometh into the camp, but keep her on a very short leash, and have Wyatt waiting to curbstomp her if she starts acting up. Wyatt and Kodiak are there now, Kodiak was the Healer and the one who was there in the past.

"Oh, and Wyatt is mostly harmless."

Priceless. Robbie, the courts weren't glorious to everyone who lived back then, you are naive about them. Ninometh, drop it.

"Let's get one thing straight, here," Nikki interrupted sternly. "The Queen is gone. Her spirit, which I held, is gone. She was destroyed in a magic battle. There is no Queen!"

If that doesn't convince them you might need to use a clue-by-truck to run them over with the fact. Aes only remembers some images and sounds from the courts, so Ninometh acts smug and lists all the things she remembers about them.

Political squabbling, fighting, and backstabbing, Sidhe politics were vicious, dang, unfortunately about as bad as I thought it was.

With a grim expression, Nikki nodded. "Worse, for us, as humans mutated into Sidhe, is that most Sidhe were racist toward humans, and cruel beyond belief. Some enslaved unfortunate human captives. Some simply didn't care. Some used humans as toys, things to play with. If you've ever seen a child playing with a small animal or pet, you know what I mean by that."

Yup, sounds like the tales of the Fair Folk. Kaladrielle treated humans as equals, visited the People often, called weak by other Sidhe for treating the People as she did. She sounds like an amazing person. An assassin took her life and was meant to kill her daughters as well, but failed.

"But we are Sidhe!" Ninometh objected strongly. "We're a regal race! Now it's time to restore our realms!"

Ninometh is indirectly at fault for her mother's assassination. *eyes go red with rage* They wanted to do that to humans, Sidhe supremacists.

Ninometh frowned. "But … how was that all my fault?"

The bear gazed evenly at her. "You toyed with the People, treated them as inferior, were cruel to them. Your attitudes fit their agenda. And then a young guard took a fancy to you, and figured that if he were the reason you ascended to the throne, you might be grateful and accept him as a suitor."

An idiot trying to impress a girl he likes and hopes she would marry him if he got her onto the throne by killing her mother and sister, so stupidity of that order is ancient and exists in all sapient species it seems.

What Ninometh said about her sister after she was crowned queen, and she doesn't remember that, seems she doesn't have all of her memories either. The Bastard, will the scars of what he has done never end?

The Healer looked sympathetically at the two spirits. ":You don't remember everything, because the Sundering tore apart your very spirits. It took for the shards to re-coalesce. Some shards were lost. Memories were lost."

I knew there was a reason memories were lost for some more than others, that is horrific.

"The Sidhe people had an almost … instinctive … sense of superiority, a sense of arrogance. If any of that attitude came into resurrected Sidhe Realms, what do you think would happen as the numbers increased?" She watched their reactions. "That is why I will never be party to reforming the Nine Realms. That's why I will fight against that action with every fiber of my being."

"You both have families," Wyatt chimed in for the first time. "Could your families, or towns even, stand up to a tidal wave of Sidhe magic that was bent on destroying anything human, so they could claim the land as their new realm? Do you want to take that chance?"

And the horror that was stopped thanks to Aunghadhail's sacrifice and Nikki having to save Hank from something she unleashed without realizing it is revealed. Robbie isn't like that and Ninometh being reminded about the Pact of Solomon means she won't take control over Robbie.

No, Aes, that isn't too much to ask and you both deserve it.

Nikki, Kayda, and Wyatt shook their heads firmly. "No You're two individuals. You owe no family obligations to your spirit. You aren't family. You go live your own lives. If you become friends, that's your choice. If you never speak to each other after this, again, that's your choice."

I hope that Robbie can somehow become friends with Elle or at least not an antagonist. Good response, Wyatt, leave the past buried where it belongs. Good, that ended a lot better than I expected, Robbie not wanting any of what might happen if the Sidhe Courts and the Nine Realms tried to return. And yes, Aes is lucky not to remember the horrors that happened back then, especially about the Bastard and other Great Old Ones the Five Fold Court and Atlantis were at war with.

Glad to see you back in prime writing form, elrod. I was hoping Elle would finally talk to Nikki and find out about Aesglowen's past enough to ease her spirit. I was not expecting Robbie nor Ninometh to show up and spur everything along like that. In the chat in the dreamspace, a lot was said, I'm so glad Aesglowen got to learn about her mother and what a great queen she was. But to learn her own actions against the People led to her mother's assassination, Ninometh has a lot to think about including her attitude towards humans who aren't her host.

I loved seeing Team Kimba again for a little bit. And a run of bad luck, it is kind of nice to hear they aren't winning all the time even if it isn't so nice for them. You wrote them perfectly and captured each of their personalities. And I can't believe Hank actually used that codename and said that thing out loud when acting as a villain for a sim.

I loved the expansion of knowledge of the Five Fold Court era, especially learning what the Sidhe courts were really like. They seem a lot like some European courts in medieval times with all the squabbling, backstabbing, and infighting, only on a grander scale and with magic involved. It is great reading a new story from you and I can't wait for your next piece.